ACLU/EPIC: First Amendment Pledge Campaign

[Declan McCullagh]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Mon, 16 Jun 1997 14:04:22 -0700 (PDT)
From: Declan McCullagh <declan at well.com>
To: fight-censorship at vorlon.mit.edu
Subject: ACLU/EPIC: First Amendment Pledge Campaign



---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Mon, 16 Jun 1997 16:50:00 -0400
From: Dave Banisar <banisar at epic.org>
To: press <info at epic.org>
Subject: Press Release: First Amendment Pledge Campaign


                          JOINT PRESS RELEASE:
                     American Civil Liberties Union
                Electronic Privacy Information Center

               ACLU, EPIC Call on Congress and Clinton to
                   "Take the First Amendment Pledge"


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, June 16, 1997

Contact:

Emily Whitfield, ACLU Nat'l Office
(212) 549-2566
emilyaclu at aol.com

David Sobel, EPIC
(202) 544-9240
sobel at epic.org

NEW YORK -- As the nation awaits a Supreme Court decision on the
future of free speech on the Internet, the American Civil Liberties
Union and the Electronic Privacy Information Center today launched
www.firstamendment.org, a website dedicated to upholding the First
Amendment in cyberspace.

The groups called on President Clinton and members of Congress to be
among the first to "Take the First Amendment Pledge" and cease any
further attempts to draft legislation to censor the Internet in the
event the Supreme Court upholds a lower court decision striking down
government regulation of the Internet as unconstitutional.

"In our view there is no such thing as a 'Constitution-proof' law
criminalizing so-called indecency in cyberspace," said Chris Hansen,
ACLU Senior Staff Attorney and lead counsel in Reno v. ACLU.

The launch of the website comes as Clinton Administration officials
have begun publicly discussing a shift in policy on Internet
regulation, saying that "industry self-regulation" -- not laws
criminalizing certain Internet communications -- is the solution to
shielding minors from online "indecency."

Hansen added that if the Administration had indeed adopted such a
policy, it is obligated to announce it to the Court before they rule
in the case. "If the report in this morning's New York Times is
indeed true, it would appear that the Clinton Administration is
preparing to take the 'Pledge,'" Hansen said.

Reno v. ACLU challenges censorship provisions of the Communications
Decency Act aimed at protecting minors by criminalizing so-called
"indecency" on the Internet. The ACLU, along with EPIC and 18 other
plaintiffs, filed a challenge to the law the day it was enacted. A
ruling on the case could come as soon as Thursday, June 19, the next
scheduled day for release of Supreme Court decisions.

"Attempts to censor the Net will not end with the Supreme Court
decision ," said David Sobel, legal counsel for EPIC and co- counsel
in Reno v. ACLU. "Proponents of Internet content regulation have
already indicated their desire to take a 'second bite of the apple'
if the Communications Decency Act is struck down."

In anticipation of such new attempts at online censorship, visitors
to www.firstamendment.org are invited to "Take the First Amendment
Pledge," which reads: "I pledge to support free speech and free
expression for all Americans and to urge Congress to uphold the
First Amendment to the United States Constitution and pass no law
abridging our freedom of speech."

Online users can capture the "First Amendment Pledge" GIF (graphic
image file) for placement on their own website. Other features
planned for the site include an "action alert" that informs users of
legislative threats to the First Amendment and allows them to
instantly e-mail or fax their member of Congress, and an online
"postcard" that can be e-mailed to friends, relatives and elected
officials, urging them to "Take the Pledge."

The ACLU is a nationwide, non-partisan organization dedicated to
defending and preserving the Bill of Rights for all individuals
through litigation, legislation and public education. The ACLU can
be found online at www.aclu.org and through America Online at
keyword: ACLU.

EPIC is a non-profit, education and research organization based in
Washington, D.C. EPIC examines civil liberties and privacy issues
that arise in new electronic media. It maintains a website at
www.epic.org.


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