>From Benton Communications: FLOOD OF E-MAIL CREDITED WITH HALTING U.S. BANK PLAN Issue: Online Advocacy The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation's (FDIC) proposed "Know Your Customer" policy (which would require banks to monitor customers' banking patterns and report inconsistencies to Federal regulators in the name of detecting potential money-launders) met heavy resistance from online commenteres and has been withdrawn. The FDIC received 257,000 comments on the proposal -- about 205,000 (~80%) arrived by e-mail. "It was the nature and the volume [of the comments]," said Chairman Donna Tanoue. "When consumers can get excited about an esoteric bank regulation, we have to pay attention." She added, "Certainly it's been an enlightening chapter for the FDIC." "That the FDIC allowed their decision to be weighted so heavily by e-mail is significant," said Jillaine Smith, a senior associate at the Benton Foundation who tracks public-interest uses of the Internet. "It's been the sense among advocacy experts that Congress is not ready to be driven by e-mail efforts." Word of the FDIC's email address and website on the subject spread through traditional media, talk radio, and an online advocacy campaign sponsored by the Libertarian Party -- about 83% of the email sent to the FDIC was done so through the party's advocacy website. "E-mail can have the impact of a sledgehammer on public policy," said a party spokesperson. "Obviously, e-mail works to influence public policy if you do it right. It has to go to an agency that's set up to receive e-mail, which the FDIC was. It has to be an issue that people care about." See the Libertarian Party Advocacy site (http://www.defendyourprivacy.com) and Benton's Advocacy Online site (http://www.benton.org/Practice/Best/advoc.html). [SOURCE: CyberTimes, AUTHOR: Rebecca Fairley Raney ([EMAIL PROTECTED])] (http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/99/03/cyber/articles/24email.html) > Kathy E. Gill > DCAC/MRM Methods Communication -- 425.965.6901 > Continuous effort -- not strength or intelligence -- is the key to unlocking our >potential. ~ Liane Cardes > Microsoft Exchange: the perfect name for its users' greatest desire! > ____________________________________________________________________ -------------------------------------------------------------------- Join The NEW Web Consultants Association FORUMS and CHAT: Register Today at: http://just4u.com/forums/ Web Consultants Web Site : http://just4u.com/webconsultants Give the Gift of Life This Year... Just4U Stop Smoking Support forum - helping smokers for over three years-tell a friend: http://just4u.com/forums/ To get 500 Banner Ads for FREE go to http://www.linkbuddies.com/start.go?id=111261 ---------------------------------------------------------------------
