[FYI] (Fwd) FC: Excerpts from Reno's press conf today on unlawful conduct report

["Axel H Horns" <horns@t-online.de>]

------- Forwarded message follows -------
Date sent:      	Thu, 09 Mar 2000 12:02:07 -0500
To:             	politech@vorlon.mit.edu
From:           	Declan McCullagh <declan@well.com>
Subject:        	FC: Excerpts from Reno's press conf today on unlawful conduct
 	report
Send reply to:  	declan@well.com

ATTY GEN. RENO: I don't want to make specific proposals. What I want
to do is to sit down with industry, with the privacy sector, and
figure out how we deal with those issues. If a man masks his identity,
as he takes the credit-card numbers and other identifying information
and invades the privacy of everybody in this room, everybody in this
room is going to want to know who got their credit- card number; who
is using it, who is extorting them -- whatever he is doing with it.

John Ryan, assistant general counsel, America Online:

    Q Mr. Ryan, what about the issue of anonymity? How important is
    that to
Internet service providers? And should there be some way that law
enforcement can penetrate the anonymity for anyone who uses the
Internet?

    MR. RYAN: Well first, let me preface my remarks by stating that,
    on 
behalf of America Online and my industry colleagues from the Internet
Alliance and the Information Technology Association of America --

    Q (Inaudible) -- pardon me. Could you --

    MR. RYAN: Yeah?

    Q -- lean forward so --

    MR. RYAN: Yes, sir.

    Q -- the camera can see you?

    MR. RYAN: The industry would like to commend and thank the efforts
    of the
entire working group, in particular the agencies, the Department of
Justice and Department of Commerce, in the thoughtful and
comprehensive treatment that is reflected in this report.

    As this report indicates, this report is not meant to offer
    specific
recommendations but rather a framework to continue the dialogue
between the existing partnership that exists between private industry
and the governmental agencies that have an interest in promoting a
safe and secure experience.

    Anonymity is one of the issues that this report deals with. But it
specifically leaves to further dialogue a more comprehensive and
thoughtful discussion of how to balance the privacy interests of those
who use the interactive service, as well as those who seek to abuse
it. So rather than deal with specific comments on the issue of
anonymity, I think we are prepared today to commit ourselves to
continue with this dialogue, between industry and the public safety,
to make sure that all the important issues that are raised in this
report are dealt with.
    Q Well, speaking of dialogue, what is -- just to engage in a
    little here --
what is the industry's view about anonymity? Should it be preserved on
the Internet? Or should there be a way for law enforcement, with
proper court orders or subpoenas, or whatever, to pierce that
anonymity, if they feel they need to?

    MR. RYAN: First, this report reflects that there are existing
    statutes,
notably the Electronic Communications Privacy Act, that sets forth the
guidelines that exist, whenever law enforcement seeks to acquire
information or data from an Internet service provider or a member who
uses that service.

...

----------------------------------------------------------------------
---- POLITECH -- the moderated mailing list of politics and technology
To subscribe, visit http://www.politechbot.com/info/subscribe.html
This message is archived at http://www.politechbot.com/
----------------------------------------------------------------------
----
------- End of forwarded message -------