-Caveat Lector- From: Libertarian Party Announcements <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Send reply to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- =============================== NEWS FROM THE LIBERTARIAN PARTY 2600 Virginia Avenue, NW, Suite 100 Washington DC 20037 World Wide Web: http://www.LP.org =============================== For release: November 3, 2000 =============================== For additional information: George Getz, Press Secretary Phone: (202) 333-0008 Ext. 222 E-Mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] =============================== New international cybersnooping treaty is all-out attack on privacy, says Browne WASHINGTON, DC -- A new international computer-crime treaty the U.S. government expects to sign this year is an "all-out attack on computer privacy" and should be rejected, Libertarian presidential candidate Harry Browne said today. "This treaty doesn't attack crime," he said. "Instead, it attacks privacy, the Fifth Amendment, and certain kinds of software -- while giving the government awesome new powers to cybersnoop on innocent Americans." The so-called "Draft Convention On Cybercrime" -- the first international computer crime agreement -- is currently being negotiated by the United States and the 41-nation Council of Europe. The treaty, which went through 19 drafts before the Justice Department revealed its existence earlier this year, could be finalized as soon as December, reported Wired.com. However, the U.S. Senate, which must approve all international treaties, should reject it outright, said Browne. "This treaty is just the latest example of politicians trying to prove they are tough on crime," he said. "As usual, they want to give bureaucrats and law enforcement new powers to appear to be fighting crime. And, as usual, it is innocent Americans who will bear the brunt of these new police powers." For example, the treaty would: * Give law enforcement the power to order Americans to reveal a computer password or encryption key -- in apparent violation of the Fifth Amendment's protection against self- incrimination. * Require Internet service providers (ISPs) to conduct real- time surveillance of customers' e-mail messages, at government request. In July, the FBI admitted it had already created a cybersnooping device code-named "Carnivore" that could scan millions of e-mails a second. * Effectively abolish anonymous e-mail by requiring "remailer" websites (which automatically distribute messages after stripping out the sender's name and return address) to collect information about their users. * Require ISPs to store at least 40 days worth of customer data, including e-mails, chat-room transcripts, and website visits, for possible review by the government. * Make illegal certain kinds of common software -- including network security utilities used by computer technicians -- on the grounds that it could be criminally misused by hackers. Although some of those provisions may be dropped in negotiations, Justice Department officials have privately said it is too late to make "major" changes to the treaty, according to the Wall Street Journal. That's why the U.S. Senate should reject the entire document, said Browne. "This treaty was negotiated in secret, with the approval of the same politicians who supported the Communications Decency Act, Know Your Customer, anti-encryption laws, the FBI's Carnivore system, the Clipper Chip, and innumerable other attacks on your privacy," he said. "And this treaty may be even worse than those previous anti-privacy initiatives because it globalizes the government's power to spy on you. "If the U.S. Senate cares about privacy, the civil liberties guaranteed in the Bill of Rights, and the Constitutional limitations on government, it will unanimously reject this Draft Convention On Cybercrime." But for individual Americans concerned about privacy, the problem is bigger than this one treaty, said Browne. "Unfortunately, stopping this treaty won't stop the relentless attacks on your civil liberties, because the same Republican and Democratic politicians will remain in power," he said. "Neither of those parties is dedicated to preserving an airtight individual right to privacy. Only the Libertarian Party is." That's why your vote on November 7 may be the most powerful pro-privacy statement you can make, said Browne. "Libertarians understand that we can't stop government snooping by fighting every new intrusion on your privacy," he said. "Our opponents will win too many of those battles, and government will get more and more intrusive. "Instead, we must fight to take completely away from government the power to enter any area of your life for which it has no explicit Constitutional authority. And the only way to accomplish that is by voting Libertarian." -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: 2.6.2 iQCVAwUBOgLyD9CSe1KnQG7RAQExGQP+PcmTMlGShPhDDU WcXZTDvRBMnGgM+2d4 6G619v8BYzPkp0JUnBxt5WscobxqNFhaz26WV3TXqhK8Z4p+S5Q Cq7+jys3za93n fqS7mLCVv09HVEvBKGWADwJZ8/dW4iMcvpbycYojsNP9E0vMkk7 i0eNUTna7IR0Z ijmGDY5l8JE= =IEfi -----END PGP SIGNATURE----- ### If we were directed from Washington when to sow and when to reap, we would soon want for bread. - Thomas Jefferson <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/">www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance—not soap-boxing—please! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'—with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright frauds—is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. 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