IP: Announcing - PFIR: "People For Internet Responsibility"

[Dave Farber <farber@cis.upenn.edu>]

>Date: Tue, 16 Nov 99 09:32 PST
>From: lauren@vortex.com (Lauren Weinstein)
>To: farber@central.cis.upenn.edu
>Subject: Announcing - PFIR: "People For Internet Responsibility"
>Cc: lauren@vortex.com
>
>David,
>
>We thought you might find this of interest.  Thanks.
>
>--Lauren--
>
>
>-----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>  [ Please feel free to redistribute this announcement as you see fit. ]
>
>                               ANNOUNCING
>
>               PFIR: "People For Internet Responsibility"
>
>                          http://www.pfir.org
>
>-----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>November 16, 1999
>
>PFIR is a global, grassroots, ad hoc network of individuals who are
>concerned about the current and future operations, development, management,
>and regulation of the Internet in responsible manners.  The goal of PFIR is
>to help provide a resource for individuals around the world to gain an
>ability to help impact these crucial Internet issues, which will affect
>virtually all aspects of our cultures, societies, and lives in the 21st
>century.  PFIR is non-partisan, has no political agenda, and does
>not engage in lobbying.
>
>PFIR has been founded (in November, 1999) by Lauren Weinstein of Vortex
>Technology in Woodland Hills, California and Peter G. Neumann of SRI
>International in Menlo Park, California.  Both have decades of continual
>experience with the Internet and its ancestor ARPANET, Lauren originally at
>the UCLA lab which was the ARPANET's first site, and Peter at the net's
>second site, located at SRI.
>
>Peter is the chairman of the ACM (Association for Computing Machinery)
>Committee on Computers and Public Policy, and the creator and moderator of
>the Internet RISKS Forum.  Lauren is a member of that same committee, and he
>is the creator and moderator of the Internet PRIVACY Forum.
>
>With the rapid commercialization of the Internet and its World Wide Web
>during the 1990's, there are increasing concerns that decisions regarding
>these resources are being irresponsibly skewed through the influence of
>powerful, vested interests (in commercial, political, and other categories)
>whose goals are not necessarily always aligned with the concerns of
>individuals and the people at large.  Such incompatibilities have surfaced
>in areas including domain name policy, spam, security, encryption, freedom
>of speech issues, privacy, content rating and filtering, and a vast array of
>other areas.  New ones are sure to come!
>
>While corporate, political, and other related entities most certainly have
>important roles to play in Internet issues, it is unwise and unacceptable
>for their influences to be effectively the only significant factors
>affecting the broad scope of Internet policies.
>
>There are numerous examples. While e-commerce can indeed be a wonderful
>tool, it is shortsighted in the extreme for some interests to treat the
>incredible creation that is the Internet as little more than a giant mail
>order catalog, with ".com" associated hype on seemingly every ad, billboard
>and commercial.  Protection of copyrights in a global Internet environment,
>without abusive monitoring, is a challenge indeed. The Internet can be a
>fantastic tool to encourage the flow of ideas, information, and education,
>but it can also be used to track users' behaviors and invade individuals'
>privacy in manners that George Orwell never imagined in his "1984" world.
>
>PFIR is a resource for discussion, analysis, and information regarding
>Internet issues, aimed at providing a forum for *ordinary people* to
>participate in the process of Internet evolution, control, and use, around
>the entire world.  PFIR is also a focal point for providing media and
>government with a resource regarding Internet issues that is not controlled
>by entities with existing major vested financial, political, or other
>interests.  This is accomplished through the PFIR Web site, the handling of
>telephone and e-mail queries, and through digests, discussion groups,
>reports, broadcast and Internet radio efforts, and other venues.
>
>For full details about People For Internet Responsibility, including
>information regarding how you can participate in or keep informed about PFIR
>activities (including the PFIR Digest mailing list), please visit
>the PFIR Web site at:
>
>    http://www.pfir.org
>
>Individuals, organizations, media, etc. who are interested in more
>information regarding PFIR or these Internet issues
>are invited to contact:
>
>Phone, Fax, or E-mail:
>
>Lauren Weinstein
>TEL: +1 (818) 225-2800
>FAX: +1 (818) 225-7203
>lauren@pfir.org
>
>Please send any physical mail to:
>
>PFIR c/o Peter G. Neumann
>Principal Scientist
>Computer Science Lab
>SRI International EL-243
>333 Ravenswood Ave.
>Menlo Park, CA 94025-3493 USA
>
>Thank you very much.  Be seeing you!
>
>   ============
>
>Lauren Weinstein
>Peter G. Neumann
>November 16, 1999