In other News:
- Prof. Bellia speaks out on legals standing of Patriot Act
- Campus Artist expresses disagreement with Patriot Act
- Survey results from campus regaring rights
And the President said...
by LIZ DRELICK
Liz Drelick reports on the varied and often contradicting views political leaders offer with regards to internet regulation.
Notre Dame, IN, April 12, 2003 -- Many Americans today worry about the possibility of the government monitoring of their online activities. The real question, however, is not how worried Americans seem to be, but how real the threat of total government monitoring is in this country. In order to answer this question, Campus Voice investigated the opinions of two influential politicians from the two mainstreams political parties regarding this issue.
According to former President of the United States, William Jefferson Clinton, the internet does need regulation, however it should be SELF regulation. With this in mind, he "endorsed recommendations [stating] that companies make available software to filter out inappropriate material." Furthermore, he agrees that the "government should step up enforcement on the Internet of existing anti-obscenity laws, and that parents should get more involved in their children's Internet activities."
Mr. Clinton wants adults to have freedom on the Internet, but he feels it is important to protect children from any danger that may be hiding on the web. "We can and must develop a solution for the Internet that is as powerful for the computer as the V-chip will be for television, and that is consistent with America's free-speech values."
Surprisingly, Current President of the United States, Herbert Walker Bush, stated, during his 2000 campaign, "I believe privacy is a fundamental right, and that every American should have absolute control over his or her personal information. Now, with the advent of the Internet, personal privacy is increasingly at risk. I am committed to protecting personal privacy for every American."
This rethoric of individual responsability and accountability disappeared, however in the wake of the events of September 11, 2001, as the Bush camp balanced the needs of national security agaisnt each person's individual rights.
"Under Section 216 of the act, courts are
required to order installation of a pen register and a trap-and trace
device to track both telephone and internet 'dialing, routing, addressing
and signaling information' anywhere within the United States when a government
attorney has certified that the information to be obtained is 'relevant'"
The truth is that before 9/11, no politician would go farther than to advocate self-regulation of the internet. Today, however, the president who campaigned on the fundamental right to privacy, is the one most likely to create full government monitoring of the internet. The constitutionality of this monitoring and its extent , however, remain to be decided, as the mantra of national security, war in Iraq, and terrorism force issues of personal rights, freedom of speech, amd civil liberties into the political background.
http://www.cwnews.com/Browse/1997/07/5477.htm
http://www.datalounge.com/datalounge/news/record.html?record=2138
http://www.cwnews.com/Browse/
Silencing Political Dissent, Nancy Chang