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LATEST NEWS (September 15, 1999)
New Report on International Status of Privacy. At the annual meeting of Privacy Commissioners in Hong Kong, Privacy & Human Rights 1999 was officially released. The survey documents the growing movement towards legislation of data protection and privacy laws. It also cites and warns of current abuses committed by law enforcement and governments.Upcoming Meeting Addresses Future of Electronic Commerce. "The Public Voice In Electronic Commerce" will bring together representatives of international consumer, policy and workers' organizations to discuss issues relating to electronic commerce. Topics to be discussed include: protection of consumer rights, privacy and personal data protection, internet access and development, and the changing relationship between businesses and consumers. The conference will be held in Paris, France on October 11.
GILC Members Defend Free Expression at Internet Content Summit. From Munich, nineteen GILC members have released a statement opposing the Internet Content Rating Association's attempt to establish new international content rating standards. Such standards pose a threat to the long-term preservation of free speech on the Internet. A collection of essays and studies written by signatories of the statement, "Filters and Freedom: Free Speech Perspectives on Internet Content Controls", has been released in conjunction with the conference.
Conference Seeks International Content Rating System. At a conference taking place in Munich on September 9-11, the Internet Content Rating Association, a new global consortium of corporations -- including AOL, Microsoft, IBM, British Telecom, and Bertelsmann -- will push towards a world-wide policy of self-rating [news article]. Concerns have been raised that content rating could threaten the freedom of expression, diversity of views, and accessibility that the Internet currently offers. For more information, refer to GILC resources on filtering and rating.
Germany Loosens Control on Export of Encryption Products. Beginning September 1, the distribution of encryption technology -- regardless of key lengths -- will not require an export license. See the article from Heise online (in german).
New International Survey Finds Few Controls. The 1999 Cryptography and Liberty report reveals that few countries worldwide now restrict encryption technologies and that there has been more relaxation of restrictions on encryption by major industrialized countries in the previous year.
For other current news stories, see the GILC Presswire