PCWorld.com's 2000 Presidential Election Guide
How do the presidential candidates stand on technology issues? We find out.Reva Basch
By now, you've probably read all the election coverage you can stand. With rallies in the news, debates on the networks, and political ads everywhere the eye can see, you'd think the candidates could have blown enough hot air to elucidate their positions on every possible issue.
Not quite. Throughout the current presidential campaign, most of the candidates have largely ignored the Internet and related technology concerns. We decided to pin down the candidates on critical technology issues.
We queried each presidential campaign on 20 top technology issues, including whether the government should tax Internet sales or pay for wiring schools, and whether e-mail deserves First Amendment protection. Since some of the campaigns did not answer all the questions, we scoured their official campaign Web sites for any statements, position papers, or FAQs that explained their stands on these issues.
Unexpected Common Ground
While we expected some of the candidates to agree on a few of the issues, we were surprised by the degree to which all six candidates--Al Gore, George W. Bush, the Green Party's Ralph Nader, the Libertarians' Harry Browne, Reform Party candidate Pat Buchanan, and Natural Law/Independent candidate John Hagelin--expressed the same opinions.
All the candidates from whom we received answers agreed that the content of e-mail deserves the same First Amendment protection as any other published material. (The candidates all agreed that e-mail messages also deserve the same privacy protection as paper mail.)
Unanimously answered in the affirmative: When we asked whether the First Amendment should protect all postings of messages or files on the Internet, every candidate answered yes. We meant for answers to this question to cover the topic of digital media, like MP3 files, as well as other programmed code such as computer viruses. But it appears the candidates didn't read the question that way, and Bush and Gore 's answers to questions asked about topics like Napster indicate a more moderate view of decentralized file sharing and intellectual property rights than they expressed in our questionnaire.
But both the major candidates gave a hint to their similar views in an online debate about Napster, the popular file sharing software. "We must find a way to apply our copyright laws to ensure that artists, writers, and creators can earn a profit from their creations," Bush wrote, "while at the same time, adapting to and utilizing new technologies to deliver media to consumers in an Information Age." Meanwhile, Gore rebutted that "we need a compromise that allows Napster-type technologies to flourish but does not take away the artist's intellectual property."
Privacy Makes Strides
Most of the candidates came out in favor of creating rules that would require businesses to protect the privacy of their customers. One way to do that is to make it easy to get and use encryption software, which scrambles a message or data so only the intended recipient can read it. When we asked about encryption software, nearly all the candidates agreed that the government should not restrict access to encryption software; current laws prevent some very high levels of encryption from being widely distributed to the public, for fear that criminals would use the software to hide messages about their criminal deeds from the eyes of law enforcement.
We also asked the candidates whether they would sign into law a hypothetical bill that would prevent social security numbers from being used as identification for anything other than tax returns. With identity theft crimes on the rise, some consumer advocacy groups have argued that insurance and financial businesses need an alternative to the social security number as a form of ID for transactions. Only Ralph Nader said he would sign such a bill. Nader also was the only candidate to indicate mild support for a sales tax on Internet purchases, arguing that having no sales tax on online purchases gives Internet businesses an unfair competitive advantage over local, brick-and-mortar businesses.
Child Protection Takes a Front Seat
All the candidates want to keep kids safe from unsavory Web content, and they feel commercial Internet-content blocking software is the way to do that. Blocking software runs in the background, constantly looking at what Web sites are loading in the browser. If the software sees a URL on its internal blacklist, the blocking software loads a page that says the blocked site is not accessible. But the companies that make blocking software have come under fire in the past year for blocking legitimate sites as well as objectionable ones. Each company that makes filtering software keeps its blacklist strictly private.
For the most part, the candidates trust the filtering software companies (and feel that we should, too, as Governor Bush's Web site even has a link to two of the filtering companies' Web sites), though Buchanan and Hagelin feel school administrators should also be involved in choosing which sites get filtered--something not technically possible with the commercial filtering software currently available.
Reva Basch, author of Researching Online for Dummies, reveals that her first computer was a brand-new IBM XT, and her first presidential election was a huge disappointment. Research Editor Tim Koerner and Senior Associate Editor Andrew Brandt contributed to this report.
How the Candidates Stand (chart)
| Questions | Browne (Libertarian) | Buchanan (Reform) | Bush (Republican) | Gore (Democrat) | Hagelin (Reform/ Natural Law) | Nader (Green) |
| 1) Should e-mail be protected by the First Amendment? | yes | yes | yes* | n/a | yes | yes* |
| 2) Messages or files posted on the Web are protected by the First Amendment? | yes | yes | n/a | n/a | yes | yes* |
| 3) Business owners have the ultimate right to own their business's domain name? | no | yes* | n/a | yes* | yes* | n/a |
| 4) Should the registration of generic-noun domain names be restricted? | no* | no | n/a | no* | no | n/a |
| 5) Federal government should fund public school technology efforts? | no | no* | yes | yes* | yes | yes* |
| 6) Federal government should provide free, high-speed Internet access to all public schools? | no | no* | no* | yes* | yes | n/a |
| 7) Should public schools use Internet filtering software? | n/a* | yes | yes | yes | yes | n/a |
| 8) Should government set criteria used to block Web sites in schools? | no | no* | n/a | no | no* | n/a |
| 9) Should there be a nationwide, federal Internet sales tax? | no | no | no | no | no | n/a* |
| 10) Should the government apply a usage fee to Internet users? | no | no | no | no | no | no |
| 11) Should government regulate ISPs like utilities? | no* | no | n/a | no | no | yes* |
| 12) Does e-mail deserve the same privacy protection as paper mail? | yes | yes | yes* | yes | yes | yes |
| 13) Is tracking people across the Web an invasion of privacy? | n/a | yes | yes | yes | yes* | yes* |
| 14) Would you support a constitutional amendment guaranteeing a fundamental right to data privacy? | no | n/a* | yes | yes | yes* | yes* |
| 15) Should government have the right to prevent citizens from using encryption? | no | no | no | no* | no | no |
| 16) Would the candidate sign into law a bill forbidding use of social security numbers as ID for anything other than tax returns? | n/a | no* | no* | no* | no | n/a* |
| 17) All computer security breaches, no matter how benign, constitute a violation of the law? | n/a | yes | n/a | n/a | yes | n/a |
| 18) Should government institute a single set of security policies for every agency or department? | n/a | no | n/a | n/a | no | n/a |
| 19) If elected, will you step up efforts to prosecute spammers or fraudulent advertisers? | no | yes* | n/a | n/a | no* | n/a |
| 20) Should government require Web businesses to shoulder responsibility for breaches of their internal security? | n/a | yes | n/a | n/a | yes* | n/a |
The Libertarian: Harry Browne
The Libertarian candidate, Harry Browne, wrote a personal response to our questionnaire. While neither Harry Browne's official election site nor that of Libertarian VP hopeful Art Olivier address Internet or other technology issues directly, Browne was candid in his responses to our questions.
In response to our query about First Amendment rights for e-mail, for example, Browne remarked, "The First Amendment says in plain English, 'Congress shall make no law abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press.' E-mail is another vehicle of free speech, and it empowers regular people to communicate with the masses. Certainly e-mail should be treated like any other form of speech: Government should stay out of it."
We asked the Libertarian candidate whether he thinks Internet service providers need regulation, as most utilities are regulated. Browne railed against such intervention. "Government doesn't work. It doesn't keep our streets safe and it doesn't educate our children. Government is good at only one thing: It breaks your legs, hands you a pair of crutches, and says, 'See, without us you wouldn't be able to walk.'" While this doesn't address the specific topic of ISPs, we think the point is clear.
Browne's antiregulatory stance also extends to technology topics we didn't even ask about. "Can you imagine a National Department of Software Standards?" Browne asked in his reply. "If it worked like the FDA, it would take years to get approval for software. The days of rapidly improving technology coupled with dramatically declining consumer costs would be gone."
Harry Browne's Questionnaire and Responses
PCWorld.com: Do you believe e-mail should be afforded the same First Amendment rights as paper mail?
Browne: A better question for someone running for president and for potential Supreme Court justices as well is, Can you read? The First Amendment says in plain English, Congress shall make no law abridging the freedom of speech or of the press.
E-mail is another vehicle of free speech, and it empowers regular people to communicate with the masses. Certainly e-mail should be treated like any other form of speech: Government should stay out of it.
PCWorld.com: Do you feel messages or files posted on Web pages or on Internet message boards constitute First Amendment-protected free speech?
Browne: My answer would be virtually the same: This is where Republicans and Democrats pit us against each other. Conservatives will say we need to protect community standards. Democrats will say we need to protect the politically correct. Only the Libertarian believes in free speech, just as the First Amendment intended it.
PCWorld.com: Do you believe the owner of a business or trademarked product should have the ultimate right to own an Internet domain name that is the same as a new business or product name, even if someone else already registered the Internet domain name before the business or product existed?
Browne: No, that wouldn't make any sense. Domain names are property, and they deserve the normal protections we'd expect for any other form of property. If a company wants that domain name, then perhaps they can buy it for a price. Then the company has what it wants (the domain name) and the person who used to own it has something he wants (money or some other consideration). This is how a free market works.
PCWorld.com: Should the registration of domain names made from generic English-language nouns such as news and TV be restricted?
Browne: I'm not sure why I would be asked this question. Are you saying that only the government can make this decision? Government is the most cumbersome, ineffective, and expensive way to handle any dispute. While I'm not in a position to know all of the particulars of this question, my instinct would be, let's find a private solution to this issue.
PCWorld.com: Should the federal government fund public school districts' efforts to bring technology into public school classrooms?
Browne: Absolutely not. It's no accident that our Founding Fathers left education out of the Constitution. They recognized, rightly I believe, that education is a local issue. We can all agree that you care far more about your children's education than any bureaucrat or politician in Washington, D.C., does. And the track record of federal involvement in education is quite poor. There appears to be an almost inverse relationship between dollars spent at the federal level and declining test scores.
We need to leave education to parents and communities, period. There is no Constitutional provision nor any practical reason the federal government needs to be involved in education in any way whatsoever.
PCWorld.com: Should the federal government provide free, high-speed Internet access to all public k-12 schools?
Browne: Please see my last answer.
PCWorld.com: Should Internet access in public schools be restricted using filtering software?
Browne: I don't believe this is for the president to decide. Once again, this is a local issue, and you'll find that I remain consistent on this issue. Our Ninth and Tenth Amendments made clear that all powers not specifically provided to the federal government via the Constitution remained with the states and the people.
But if you're looking for my personal opinion, for the long term, I believe we need a separation of school and state.
I want to completely free people from the income tax. For many parents that would empower them to choose a better school for their children. There is a rapidly growing private school scholarship movement already in place, and every time we've had a tax cut, charitable contributions have increased. Therefore, to those who still wouldn't be able to afford a choice in their child's education, an even greater level of scholarships would exist to cover their need.
This would mean that parents could choose the schools that matched their values, including what kind of Internet access they would desire. I believe this is the only sane approach to the problem. Lobbying school boards is simply politics, and once again, parents are more likely to make the right decision for their children, as opposed to bureaucrats and politicians.
PCWorld.com: If students should not be granted full access to the entire Internet, should government be the final arbiter of criteria used to block Web sites?
Browne: Again, absolutely not. And everything I've said up to this point comes together.
The First Amendment keeps this kind of power out of the hands of the federal government.
The Ninth and Tenth Amendments prohibit government involvement in education.
I've already discussed why federal involvement in education is neither beneficial nor desirable, and how I would free parents from a burdensome tax system that steals educational choices.
If we didn't complicate things with politics, the way my opponents do, if we stopped believing the myth that government can achieve anything it sets out to do and instead recognized that government is clumsy, inefficient, sometimes abusive, and ultimately coercive, then we could see several private means to solve virtually any concern we may have.
PCWorld.com: Should there be a nationwide, federal Internet sales tax?
Browne: No. Why would we want to squelch the most rapidly growing part of our economy? Why would we want to provide another form of revenue to an already bloated federal government?
PCWorld.com: Should the government apply a usage fee to Internet users?
Browne: Again, no. And I would repeat the same questions.
PCWorld.com: Should the government regulate large Internet service providers (in the same manner as they regulate other utilities, such as electric companies or telephone companies)?
Browne: Government doesn't work. It doesn't keep our streets safe and it doesn't educate our children. Government is good at only one thing: It breaks your legs, hands you a pair of crutches, and says, "See, without us you wouldn't be able to walk."
Can you imagine a National Department of Software Standards? If it worked like the FDA, it would take years to get approval for software. The days of rapidly improving technology coupled with dramatically declining consumer costs would be gone.
Instead of regulating ISPs why don't we deregulate those other industries you list?
PCWorld.com: Does the content of e-mail deserve to be afforded the same privacy protection as the contents of paper letters in sealed envelopes?
Browne: Of course it does. And the reason it currently doesn't receive that kind of protection is, surprise, surprise, the federal government puts limits on encryption. I believe we need to end limits on encryption.
The stated reason for the limits on encryption is terrorism.
But we needn't fear terrorism under a Browne administration. I would bring all the troops in Europe, Asia, etc. back home. I would end our prying into the affairs of other nations because this kind of meddling has failed in its stated intentions in case after case--Bosnia, Somalia, Rwanda, Nicaragua, Panama, Iraq, Afghanistan, Lebanon, the Philippines, Beirut, Vietnam, Korea, Cuba, or anywhere else. But what is worse is that these policies have created enemies: people who had no reason to be mad at us.
If we followed a policy of non-interventionism, coupled with truly free trade, then we'd have little to fear from terrorists, and the stated reason for limiting encryption would disappear.
PCWorld.com: Do you think the act of monitoring or tracking people's movement across the Web, in the same manner that a stalker monitors a victim, constitutes an invasion of privacy?
Browne: No answer.
PCWorld.com: Would you support a constitutional amendment guaranteeing all citizens a fundamental right to the privacy of any information that could be collected in electronic databases?
Browne: No.
PCWorld.com: Should the government have the right to prevent citizens from using encryption to keep their communication private?
Browne: Refer to answer above, regarding e-mail and privacy.
PCWorld.com: If elected, would you sign into law a bill passed by Congress that forbids the use of social security numbers as identification for banking, insurance, credit cards, and other personal financial transactions (with the exception of filing tax returns)?
Browne: No answer.
PCWorld.com: Should all security breaches of any computer over the Internet, no matter how benign, constitute a violation of the law?
Browne: No answer.
PCWorld.com: Should the government institute a single set of security policies for all computer users in every agency or department?
Browne: No answer.
PCWorld.com: If elected, will you ask the Justice Department to step up efforts to prosecute spammers or fraudulent advertisers?
Browne: No, I would not. I can't see why we would want to get the government involved. This is a problem for the market to solve, and already it is doing so. Many ISPs provide services to control and to combat the practice of spamming, and special e-mail programs are available to help as well. Of course, one can always delete unnecessary e-mail.
PCWorld.com: Should a business that operates primarily over the Internet be required to take full responsibility for the repercussions of breaches of their internal security, such as the theft of customer credit card numbers?
Browne: No answer.
The Reformer: Pat Buchanan
The Reform Party, Pat Buchanan's branch in particular, isn't known for its focus on technology-related matters. In fact, the word Internet rates just a couple of passing mentions among the press releases and position papers posted on the site. But the campaign did respond to our entire list of questions.
Buchanan opposes federal government oversight of Internet filtering software in schools. "Local administrators are better suited than Washington bureaucrats to understand their districts' technology needs and introduce appropriate solutions." As for wiring the schools, Buchanan would prefer to have local districts negotiate discount deals with local Internet service providers. His response, he says, reflects the party's strong preference for private-sector and locally based solutions.
On domain name ownership rights, he commented, "Businesses and trademarked products have the ultimate right to own their own domain names either by making an initial purchase, procuring them from current owners, or by prosecuting under current trademark protections." And when we asked if online businesses should be held liable for lapses of security that result in credit card fraud, he responded, "Businesses should cover customers' credit card deductables when a number is misused due to a lapse of internal security." But the second half of his answer helped illustrate his preference for businesses to deal with the problem without government intervention: "If breaches persist, credit card companies will either prosecute or no longer service negligent vendors."
Pat Buchanan's Questionnaire and Responses
PCWorld.com: Do you believe e-mail should be afforded the same First Amendment rights as paper mail?
Buchanan: Yes.
PCWorld.com: Do you feel messages or files posted on Web pages or on Internet message boards constitute First Amendment-protected free speech?
Buchanan: Yes.
PCWorld.com: Do you believe the owner of a business or trademarked product should have the ultimate right to own an Internet domain name that is the same as a new business or product name, even if someone else already registered the Internet domain name before the business or product existed?
Buchanan: Businesses and trademarked products have the ultimate right to own their own domain names either by making an initial purchase, procuring them from current owners, or by prosecuting under current trademark protections.
PCWorld.com: Should the registration of domain names made from generic English-language nouns such as news and TV be restricted?
Buchanan: No.
PCWorld.com: Should the federal government fund public school districts' efforts to bring technology into public school classrooms?
Buchanan: Local administrators are better suited than Washington bureaucrats to understand their districts' technology needs and introduce appropriate solutions.
PCWorld.com: Should the federal government provide free, high-speed Internet access to all public k-12 schools?
Buchanan: We would encourage private service providers to partner with local school districts to provide Internet access.
PCWorld.com: Should Internet access in public schools be restricted using filtering software?
Buchanan: Yes.
PCWorld.com: If students should not be granted full access to the entire Internet, should government be the final arbiter of criteria used to block Web sites?
Buchanan: Parents and local school officials should set standards for their children's Internet use.
PCWorld.com: Should there be a nationwide, federal Internet sales tax?
Buchanan: No.
PCWorld.com: Should the government apply a usage fee to Internet users?
Buchanan: No.
PCWorld.com: Should the government regulate large Internet service providers (in the same manner as they regulate other utilities, such as electric companies or telephone companies)?
Buchanan: No. Competition between ISPs is sufficient to keep quality high and costs low.
PCWorld.com: Does the content of e-mail deserve to be afforded the same privacy protection as the contents of paper letters in sealed envelopes?
Buchanan: Yes.
PCWorld.com: Do you think the act of monitoring or tracking people's movement across the Web, in the same manner that a stalker monitors a victim, constitutes an invasion of privacy?
Buchanan: Yes.
PCWorld.com: Would you support a constitutional amendment guaranteeing all citizens a fundamental right to the privacy of any information that could be collected in electronic databases?
Buchanan: Any Web site with a privacy policy that gathers personal information for a database should honor that commitment. Users who give personal information to sites without privacy policies do so by their own choice.
PCWorld.com: Should the government have the right to prevent citizens from using encryption to keep their communication private?
Buchanan: No.
PCWorld.com: If elected, would you sign into law a bill passed by Congress that forbids the use of social security numbers as identification for banking, insurance, credit cards, and other personal financial transactions (with the exception of filing tax returns)?
Buchanan: Rather than forbidding the use of social security numbers for identification purposes, we would support consumer consent to use SSNs for public transactions.
PCWorld.com: Should all security breaches of any computer over the Internet, no matter how benign, constitute a violation of the law?
Buchanan: Yes.
PCWorld.com: Should the government institute a single set of security policies for all computer users in every agency or department?
Buchanan: No. Security policies should be suited to the needs of the agency and the sensitivity of its functions.
PCWorld.com: If elected, will you ask the Justice Department to step up efforts to prosecute spammers or fraudulent advertisers?
Buchanan: The laws that prohibit fraudulent print, radio, and TV advertising should apply online. With respect the spamming [sic], if e-mail addresses are obtained in an unethical manner, we would apply the same laws that presently govern postal or telemarketing solicitation.
PCWorld.com: Should a business that operates primarily over the Internet be required to take full responsibility for the repercussions of breaches of their internal security, such as the theft of customer credit card numbers?
Buchanan: Businesses should cover customers' credit card deductables when a number is misused due to a lapse of internal security. If breaches persist, credit card companies will either prosecute or no longer service negligent vendors.
The Republican: George W. Bush
The official George W. Bush Web site didn't answer all our questions, but the Technology and New Economy section was nearly all we had to go on, because the Bush-Cheney campaign did not directly answer most of the questions on our questionnaire.
Bush is not nearly as enthusiastic as Gore about wiring schools for Internet access. While Gore wants to create a grant he calls "E-Rate" that would give school districts discounted Internet access, buy into new technology, and use AmeriCorps volunteers to train school staff, Bush would rather reassess the whole area of educational technology and let local authorities determine where the money that is earmarked for technology should best be spent--even if that means they don't invest in schools.
Gore's drumbeat on the so-called digital divide, where less-well-off families don't get a computer and fall behind in the rush to learn the new technology, echoes in the Bush camp, as well. Bush proposes spending $400 million to create and maintain a network of thousands of "community technology centers" that would provide free Net access, computer literacy training, and professional skills development to the underprivileged.
The E-Bush White House
A main point that runs throughout Governor Bush's campaign literature is his interest in what he calls "Civil Justice." Don't confuse that with civil rights: Bush wants to "reduce the threat of massive, unnecessary litigation" against e-businesses. He doesn't explain outright what he's referring to, but Bush in the past has expressed sympathy for Microsoft in its antitrust trial, and concern over breaking up the company. In several stump speeches and in his position papers, Bush echoes the refrain sounded by Microsoft's own defense attorneys in their company's trial: He's for "innovation, not litigation."
Governor Bush's positions track those of Vice President Gore on most privacy issues. "I believe that privacy is a fundamental right and that every American should have absolute control over his or her personal information," says an e-mail to PCWorld.com sent by his press secretary, Craig Stevens. It adds, "It is especially important to protect highly sensitive medical, genetic, and financial information." Bush also wrote that he favors "opt-in" privacy rules (which require a business to get consent before they collect any personal information) for online businesses.
George W. Bush's Questionnaire and Responses
Editor's Note: In response to repeated queries for answers to our questionnaire, Bush press secretary Craig Stevens e-mailed a list of his own questions and Bush's answers to them. Where the topics seem to mesh, we've placed the text of the Bush camp's question-and-answer as the answer to our question.
PCWorld.com: Do you believe e-mail should be afforded the same first amendment rights as paper mail?
Bush: Working Americans, like all Americans, are understandably concerned about the loss of privacy in the modern world. I believe that employers should respect the privacy of their employees and give them clear notice through a well-defined privacy policy.
PCWorld.com: Do you feel messages or files posted on Web pages or on Internet message boards constitute First Amendment-protected free speech?
Bush: No answer.
PCWorld.com: Do you believe the owner of a business or trademarked product should have the ultimate right to own an Internet domain name that is the same as a new business or product name, even if someone else already registered the Internet domain name before the business or product existed?
Bush: No answer.
PCWorld.com: Should the registration of domain names made from generic English-language nouns such as news and TV be restricted?
Bush: No answer.
PCWorld.com: Should the federal government fund public school districts' efforts to bring technology into public school classrooms?
Bush: Yes (Bush would tie funding to performance, according to his Education Brief).
PCWorld.com: Should the federal government provide free, high-speed Internet access to all public k-12 schools?
Bush: No (according to the Bush Web site).
PCWorld.com: Should Internet access in public schools be restricted using filtering software?
Bush: Yes.
PCWorld.com: If students should not be granted full access to the entire Internet, should government be the final arbiter of criteria used to block Web sites?
Bush: No answer.
PCWorld.com: Should there be a nationwide, federal Internet sales tax?
Bush: No. "Governor Bush will ensure the growth of the Internet and e-commerce by passing up to a five-year extension of the Internet tax moratorium. "
PCWorld.com: Should the government apply a usage fee to Internet users?
Bush: No.
PCWorld.com: Should the government regulate large Internet service providers (in the same manner as they regulate other utilities, such as electric companies or telephone companies)?
Bush: No answer.
PCWorld.com: Does the content of e-mail deserve to be afforded the same privacy protection as the contents of paper letters in sealed envelopes?
Bush: Yes, except possibly in the workplace.
What is the candidate's stance on Carnivore, the FBI's e-mail surveillance tool? What should be done? If he succeeds in the November elections, would the candidate make use of Carnivore or other similar devices? I am concerned that Carnivore may represent a real threat to privacy because it has the ability to read any of the 6 trillion e-mail messages that pass through servers in the U.S. The risk of abuse is enormous. While preventing terrorism and crime is a serious concern and must be dealt with through serious measures, we must make sure that innocent citizens don't lose their rights in the process. Indeed, Carnivore may represent a security risk because Internet service providers have no say in the installation of Carnivore and must rely on the FBI's own assertions of security. Given the recent assessment by the House Government Reform Committee--which gave the Department of Justice an F for computer security--there is reason to be concerned that private information will not be kept secure.
PCWorld.com: Do you think the act of monitoring or tracking people's movement across the Web, in the same manner that a stalker monitors a victim, constitutes an invasion of privacy?
Bush: Yes. I share many people's concerns that, with the advent of the Internet, personal privacy is increasingly at risk, and I am committed to protecting personal privacy for everyone. Though industry now appears to be making some efforts to meet consumer demands for privacy protection, as president I will ensure:
- Notice and Consent. Everyone has the right to know what information is collected and how it will be used, and to accept or decline the collection or dissemination of this information--particularly financial and medical information.
- Access. Individuals have the right to correct any inaccurate personal information.
- Security. Institutions must provide sufficient security to prevent unauthorized access to personal information.
PCWorld.com: Would you support a constitutional amendment guaranteeing all citizens a fundamental right to the privacy of any information that could be collected in electronic databases?
Bush: Yes. I believe that privacy is a fundamental right and that every American should have absolute control over his or her personal information. I believe that it is especially important to protect highly sensitive medical, genetic, and financial information.
I believe in "opt-in" privacy policies because we must protect medical, financial, and other sensitive personal information. Online profiling, especially the linking of online and offline databases, is a serious concern. I believe that the marketplace can function without sacrificing the privacy of individuals. Privacy is a fundamental right, and every American should have absolute control over his or her personal information. Everyone has the right to know what information is collected and how it will be used, and to accept or decline the collection or dissemination of this information.
PCWorld.com: Should the government have the right to prevent citizens from using encryption to keep their communication private?
Bush: No. I believe that strong encryption products enhance consumer privacy. In October 1999, I proposed fundamental reform of the U.S. high technology export system--including encryption export laws--to allows [sic] companies to export products when those products are already readily available in foreign or mass markets, while building high walls around technologies of the highest sensitivity. The current system needlessly penalizes U.S. businesses while failing to strengthen our national security.
PCWorld.com: If elected, would you sign into law a bill passed by Congress that forbids the use of social security numbers as identification for banking, insurance, credit cards, and other personal financial transactions (with the exception of filing tax returns)?
Bush: No answer, but Bush writes, "As president, I will prohibit genetic discrimination, criminalize identity theft, and guarantee the privacy of medical and sensitive financial records. In addition, I will make it a criminal offense to sell a person's social security number without his or her express consent."
PCWorld.com: Should all security breaches of any computer over the Internet, no matter how benign, constitute a violation of the law?
Bush: No answer.
PCWorld.com: Should the government institute a single set of security policies for all computer users in every agency or department?
Bush: No answer.
PCWorld.com: If elected, will you ask the Justice Department to step up efforts to prosecute spammers or fraudulent advertisers?
Bush: No answer.
PCWorld.com: Should a business that operates primarily over the Internet be required to take full responsibility for the repercussions of breaches of their internal security, such as the theft of customer credit card numbers?
Bush: No answer.
The Democrat: Al Gore
Okay, he didn't invent the Internet, but Al Gore and the Net go way back. The official Gore-Lieberman site is the only one of many that gives the candidate's stand on technology and computer-related issues thorough coverage. The Internet and Technology section of Gore's site boasts his accomplishments and offers insight into a technology agenda for a Gore White House. The former senator's published testimonials even include one from Vint Cerf, often called the father of the Internet, and Marc Andreessen, the dictionary-definition Internet entrepreneur who invented the first Web browser, Mosaic (which later morphed into Netscape).
Surprisingly, Gore and Bush have some very similar opinions about issues surrounding the Internet and the New Economy. In fact, it's tough to find the small areas where their opinions differ. For example, Gore's against an Internet sales tax, but he isn't categorically opposed to such taxes; a three-year moratorium is all he's willing to commit to right now. Uncharacteristically, Bush doesn't want to eliminate the possibility of these taxes either: He wants to extend the moratorium for five years.
Gore and the E-conomy
Gore and Bush both have a strong interest in driving the Internet economy to new heights, but one of e-business's greatest weaknesses right now is a desperate shortage of skilled high-tech workers. Gore wants to invest in education, especially technology education, to provide workers that would fill jobs in New Economy businesses; a significant portion of his campaign pledges revolve around research and development, investment in higher education grants, and getting technology into schools.
That stands out in contrast to Bush's plan, which is to raise the cap on H-1B visas (a type of work visa that lets foreign high-tech workers get jobs in the U.S.), while providing money to nonprofits and "faith-based organizations" to build and operate what he calls Community Technology Centers. Gore also wants more H-1B visas, but he says he wants to "protect and prepare the U.S. workforce" to be able to work in the new economy.
Among other things, the candidate promises to push forward online privacy legislation that would protect financial, medical, and insurance data; help schools obtain Web filtering software to block children's access to objectionable sites; and make the federal government more accessible through Web sites.
Al Gore's Questionnaire and Responses
PCWorld.com: Do you believe e-mail should be afforded the same First Amendment rights as paper mail?
Gore: No answer.
PCWorld.com: Do you feel messages or files posted on Web pages or on Internet message boards constitute First Amendment-protected free speech?
Gore: No answer.
PCWorld.com: Do you believe the owner of a business or trademarked product should have the ultimate right to own an Internet domain name that is the same as a new business or product name, even if someone else already registered the Internet domain name before the business or product existed?
Yes. (Based on Administration support for anti-cybersquatting legislation. See Washington Post, 11/20/99: Senate Passes High-Tech Bills; Satellite TV, Patent Laws, 'Cybersquatting' Are Addressed.)
PCWorld.com: Should the registration of domain names made from generic English-language nouns such as news and TV be restricted?
Gore: No (based on support for expanded e-commerce opportunities).
PCWorld.com: Should the federal government fund public school districts' efforts to bring technology into public school classrooms?
Gore: Yes, at least to some extent (based on wiring-the-schools initiatives).
PCWorld.com: Should the federal government provide free, high-speed Internet access to all public k-12 schools?
Gore: Yes.
PCWorld.com: Should Internet access in public schools be restricted using filtering software?
Gore: Yes (at the discretion of the teacher: "Al Gore supports an approach that gives parents and teachers the tools they need--such as blocking and filtering software--so they can make the choice about how best to prevent children from gaining access to inappropriate material.").
PCWorld.com: If students should not be granted full access to the entire Internet, should government be the final arbiter of criteria used to block Web sites?
Gore: No (see above; it's the parents' and teachers' responsibilities).
PCWorld.com: Should there be a nationwide, federal Internet sales tax?
Gore: No (at least for 3 years).
PCWorld.com: Should the government apply a usage fee to Internet users?
Gore: No. "Fundamentally, I believe that there shouldn't be any discriminatory taxes on the Internet."
PCWorld.com: Should the government regulate large Internet service providers (in the same manner as they regulate other utilities, such as electric companies or telephone companies)?
Gore: No. "As president, Al Gore would...continue to aggressively promote competition in the telecommunications sector so that any company can provide any service to any customer, and so that market forces rather than government regulation can prevent anticompetitive and anticonsumer behavior."
PCWorld.com: Does the content of e-mail deserve to be afforded the same privacy protection as the contents of paper letters in sealed envelopes?
Gore: Yes (based on support for an Electronic Bill of Rights to protect personal privacy online, though this doesn't explicitly address e-mail communications).
PCWorld.com: Do you think the act of monitoring or tracking people's movement across the Web, in the same manner that a stalker monitors a victim, constitutes an invasion of privacy?
Gore: Yes. "He supports new technologies that can put privacy protection in the hands of Internet users by, for example, allowing them to browse the Internet anonymously."
PCWorld.com: Would you support a constitutional amendment guaranteeing all citizens a fundamental right to the privacy of any information that could be collected in electronic databases?
Gore: Yes. (See E-Government for the 21st Century: "We will protect the privacy of all Americans--because the right to privacy is a fundamental right, which calls for special safeguards in the Information Age.")
PCWorld.com: Should the government have the right to prevent citizens from using encryption to keep their communication private?
Gore: No. "Vice President Gore announced in September that the Administration would relax export controls for encryption software. "
PCWorld.com: If elected, would you sign into law a bill passed by Congress that forbids the use of social security numbers as identification for banking, insurance, credit cards, and other personal financial transactions (with the exception of filing tax returns)?
Gore: No. (Al Gore has an alternative solution to the privacy issue. "Al Gore has called for legislation on medical records, financial information, and genetic discrimination legislation because of the sensitivity of this information. He also has called for new legislation to prevent people from profiting from others' personal information by selling their social security number.")
PCWorld.com: Should all security breaches of any computer over the Internet, no matter how benign, constitute a violation of the law?
Gore: No answer.
PCWorld.com: Should the government institute a single set of security policies for all computer users in every agency or department?
Gore: No answer.
PCWorld.com: If elected, will you ask the Justice Department to step up efforts to prosecute spammers or fraudulent advertisers?
Gore: No answer.
PCWorld.com: Should a business that operates primarily over the Internet be required to take full responsibility for the repercussions of breaches of their internal security, such as the theft of customer credit card numbers?
Gore: No answer.
The Natural Law/Independent: John Hagelin
In previous presidential contests, John Hagelin ran as the candidate for the Natural Law Party. A failed attempt to become the Reform Party's nominee resulted in a split of the party between Hagelin's supporters and the Buchanan-dominated wing of the Reform party. In the end, Buchanan got the official title of Reform Party candidate, but that didn't stop Hagelin from forming a Natural Law/Independent political coalition.
Hagelin's running mate, Nat Goldhaber, is the retired chief executive officer of CyberGold, a Web-based marketing company. You'd expect this ticket to know the kinds of issues we asked about, and their answers reflected an awareness of the nuances of technology topics: On domain name rights, for example, they explained their position by stating that "an Internet domain name for a registered service mark or trademark, like 'Ford Motor Company,' should be protected against use by other parties. If no such service mark or trademark already exists, then anyone should have access to that domain name."
With regard to online privacy, Hagelin and Goldhaber agree that the right to privacy should be guaranteed, but they point out that "individuals should be able to choose their level of electronic anonymity." As for our question about prosecuting spammers and fraudulent advertisers, they make a reasonable distinction between the two: "Fraudulent advertisers should be prosecuted. However, since spam merely constitutes a form of junk mail, the industry should impose its own discipline, as it now does."
Across the board, Hagelin and Goldhaber's responses indicate support for free speech on the Net, a pragmatic attitude toward e-commerce issues, and a preference for minimal federal government involvement--except when it comes to bringing high-speed access and related technologies into the schools, which they strongly support.
John Hagelin's Questionnaire and Responses
PCWorld.com: Do you believe e-mail should be afforded the same First Amendment rights as paper mail?
Hagelin: Yes.
PCWorld.com: Do you feel messages or files posted on Web pages or on Internet message boards constitute First Amendment-protected free speech?
Hagelin: Yes.
PCWorld.com: Do you believe the owner of a business or trademarked product should have the ultimate right to own an Internet domain name that is the same as a new business or product name, even if someone else already registered the Internet domain name before the business or product existed?
Hagelin: Yes. An Internet domain name for a registered service mark or trademark, like "Ford Motor Company," should be protected against use by other parties. If no such service mark or trademark already exists, then anyone should have access to that domain name.
PCWorld.com: Should the registration of domain names made from generic English-language nouns such as news and TV be restricted?
Hagelin: No.
PCWorld.com: Should the federal government fund public school districts' efforts to bring technology into public school classrooms?
Hagelin: Yes.
PCWorld.com: Should the federal government provide free, high-speed Internet access to all public k-12 schools?
Hagelin: Yes.
PCWorld.com: Should Internet access in public schools be restricted using filtering software?
Hagelin: Yes.
PCWorld.com: If students should not be granted full access to the entire Internet, should government be the final arbiter of criteria used to block Web sites?
Hagelin: No, local control or school board.
PCWorld.com: Should there be a nationwide, federal Internet sales tax?
Hagelin: No.
PCWorld.com: Should the government apply a usage fee to Internet users?
Hagelin: No.
PCWorld.com: Should the government regulate large Internet service providers (in the same manner as they regulate other utilities, such as electric companies or telephone companies)?
Hagelin: No.
PCWorld.com: Does the content of e-mail deserve to be afforded the same privacy protection as the contents of paper letters in sealed envelopes?
Hagelin: Yes.
PCWorld.com: Do you think the act of monitoring or tracking people's movement across the Web, in the same manner that a stalker monitors a victim, constitutes an invasion of privacy?
Hagelin: Yes, unless the consumer offers their permission.
PCWorld.com: Would you support a constitutional amendment guaranteeing all citizens a fundamental right to the privacy of any information that could be collected in electronic databases?
Hagelin: Yes. The right [to] privacy should be guaranteed. Individuals should be able to choose their level of electronic anonymity.
PCWorld.com: Should the government have the right to prevent citizens from using encryption to keep their communication private?
Hagelin: No.
PCWorld.com: If elected, would you sign into law a bill passed by Congress that forbids the use of social security numbers as identification for banking, insurance, credit cards, and other personal financial transactions (with the exception of filing tax returns)?
Hagelin: No.
PCWorld.com: Should all security breaches of any computer over the Internet, no matter how benign, constitute a violation of the law?
Hagelin: Yes.
PCWorld.com: Should the government institute a single set of security policies for all computer users in every agency or department?
Hagelin: No.
PCWorld.com: If elected, will you ask the Justice Department to step up efforts to prosecute spammers or fraudulent advertisers?
Hagelin: No. Fraudulent advertisers should be prosecuted. However, since spam merely constitutes a form of junk mail, the industry should impose its own discipline, as it now does.
PCWorld.com: Should a business that operates primarily over the Internet be required to take full responsibility for the repercussions of breaches of their internal security, such as the theft of customer credit card numbers?
Hagelin: Yes, where negligence can be demonstrated.
The Green: Ralph Nader
The Green Party's core issue papers posted at the Ralph Nader campaign site cover technology, computers, and the Internet insofar as these forces threaten to erode consumer privacy and other rights, exploit workers, or despoil the environment. A search produced about three dozen general references to the Net--as a medium for information distribution and grassroots organization (Nader's in favor of that), and in regards to instances of online privacy violation, the Microsoft case, the government "giveaway" of domain name rights, and the deleterious effects of computer components in landfills.
Nader also offers write-ups of issues few of the other candidates have ever addressed. One such example is accessibility for disabled workers: Nader points out several cases from high-tech industries where the disabled were able to flourish as information workers. In an online debate with former FCC chair Reed Hundt, Nader blasted the Democrats for allowing cable television companies to own the Internet content that they also distribute.
Like all the candidates, Nader and his running mate, Winona LaDuke, come down firmly in favor of online privacy and free speech. In fact, Nader goes one step further, promising that if elected, he would regulate the use and sale of social security numbers and other electronically stored personal data. Nader also would call for the formation of a government body to oversee privacy concerns and would summon an international convention on privacy.
As for the other issues, Nader's comment in an interview with Jim Lehrer indicates support for an Internet sales tax, in the spirit of fair competition for small, locally owned businesses: "In some places in this country, you go and you pay taxes on food and on books, but you don't pay taxes on what you buy on the Internet, even though the small businesses in this country are the ones that support the charity and fiber of the community. It's really not fair."
Ralph Nader's Questionnaire and Responses
PCWorld.com: Do you believe e-mail should be afforded the same First Amendment rights as paper mail?
Nader: Yes. (Based on party platform statement: "Although we see regular assaults on the freedoms of speech enshrined in our nation's founding documents, we oppose censorship in the arts, media (including the World Wide Web and Internet), and press. We encourage individual and social responsibility by artists, creative media, writers--and all citizens.")
PCWorld.com: Do you feel messages or files posted on Web pages or on Internet message boards constitute First Amendment-protected free speech?
Nader: Yes.
PCWorld.com: Do you believe the owner of a business or trademarked product should have the ultimate right to own an Internet domain name that is the same as a new business or product name, even if someone else already registered the Internet domain name before the business or product existed?
Nader: No answer.
PCWorld.com: Should the registration of domain names made from generic English-language nouns such as news and TV be restricted?
Nader: No answer.
PCWorld.com: Should the federal government fund public school districts' efforts to bring technology into public school classrooms?
Nader: Yes. (Based on party platform statement: "Advanced telecommunications technologies (many of which came originally from defense applications) such as fiber optics, broadband infrastructure, the Internet and the World Wide Web hold great promise for education, decentralized economies, and local control of decision making. We believe we must move toward decentralization in these efforts, carefully protecting our individual rights as we go forward.")
PCWorld.com: Should the federal government provide free, high-speed Internet access to all public k-12 schools?
Nader: No answer.
PCWorld.com: Should Internet access in public schools be restricted using filtering software?
Nader: No answer.
PCWorld.com: If students should not be granted full access to the entire Internet, should government be the final arbiter of criteria used to block Web sites?
Nader: No answer.
PCWorld.com: Should there be a nationwide, federal Internet sales tax?
Nader: No answer, but according to a comment taken from the June 30 Jim Lehrer interview: "In some places in this country, you go and you pay taxes on food and on books, but you don't pay taxes on what you buy on the Internet. Even though the small businesses in this country are the ones that support the charity and fiber of the community. It's really not fair."
PCWorld.com: Should the government apply a usage fee to Internet users?
Nader: No.
PCWorld.com: Should the government regulate large Internet service providers (in the same manner as they regulate other utilities, such as electric companies or telephone companies)?
Nader: Yes (see Nader's "Hey Al, Where's the Competition?").
PCWorld.com: Does the content of e-mail deserve to be afforded the same privacy protection as the contents of paper letters in sealed envelopes?
Nader: Yes.
PCWorld.com: Do you think the act of monitoring or tracking people's movement across the Web, in the same manner that a stalker monitors a victim, constitutes an invasion of privacy?
Nader: Yes (see Nader's essay, "Advertisers Overlook Privacy Concerns").
PCWorld.com: Would you support a constitutional amendment guaranteeing all citizens a fundamental right to the privacy of any information that could be collected in electronic databases?
Nader: Yes. (From Nader testimony to House on consumer privacy: "The financial conglomerates created by HR 10 will have an unprecedented amount of the most sensitive information about consumers, including account balances, CD maturity dates, sources of deposits, medical histories, and detailed data on the assets of individuals. Not only can this information be shared among the affiliates, but the data can be sold to third parties such as a direct marketer, another financial institution, or an Internet Web site without notifying the customer that the information is being shared or obtaining the customer's consent. At a minimum, HR 10 should provide that no information be shared with either affiliates or third parties unless the consumer gives contemporaneous approval in writing--a specific "opt-in" by the consumer.")
PCWorld.com: Should the government have the right to prevent citizens from using encryption to keep their communication private?
Nader: No.
PCWorld.com: If elected, would you sign into law a bill passed by Congress that forbids the use of social security numbers as identification for banking, insurance, credit cards, and other personal financial transactions (with the exception of filing tax returns)?
Nader: No answer, but his "Advertisers Overlook Privacy Concerns" suggests he would.
PCWorld.com: Should all security breaches of any computer over the Internet, no matter how benign, constitute a violation of the law?
Nader: No answer.
PCWorld.com: Should the government institute a single set of security policies for all computer users in every agency or department?
Nader: No answer.
PCWorld.com: If elected, will you ask the Justice Department to step up efforts to prosecute spammers or fraudulent advertisers?
Nader: No answer.
PCWorld.com: Should a business that operates primarily over the Internet be required to take full responsibility for the repercussions of breaches of their internal security, such as the theft of customer credit card numbers?
Nader: No answer.