Santa Clara, Calif. — Together with the High Tech Law Institute at Santa Clara University School of Law, the Congressional Internet Caucus Advisory Committee will host the 2nd Annual State of the Net Conference to probe key technology policy issues on August 6 in Santa Clara, California.

What: The State of the Net West Conference will feature leaders of the Congressional Internet Caucus in discussions with West Coast academic scholars, public interest advocates, and industry executives during a series of discussions on timely technology policy issues during the run-up to the 2008 elections. State of the Net West is designed to channel West Coast thought leadership from the academic community and the marketplace to help inform the technology policy issues that will be decided in Washington. Three panels will cover the respective topics:

* Will Our Reputations and Privacy Survive the Age of Social Networking?
* Can ISP Immunity Survive the Onslaught of Web 2.0?
* The Movement of Information from the Crowd to the Cloud
More details at http://www.netcaucus.org/events/2008/sotnwest/

Who: Participants include:
* Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren
* Congressman Mike Honda
* Congressman Bob Goodlatte
* Frank Pasquale, Associate Professor of Law at Seton Hall Law School
* Lauren Gelman, Executive Director and Lecturer of Law at Stanford Law
* Mike Fertik, CEO of Reputation Defender
* James X. Dempsey, Vice President for Public Policy, Center for Democracy and Technology
* Matthew Parrella, U.S. Department of Justice
* More TBD

When: Wednesday, August 6 from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. (lunch will be served)

Where: California Mission Room, Benson Center, Santa Clara University, 500 El Camino Real, Santa Clara, California, 95053

RSVP: Please RSVP to Nick Proferes at 202.638.4370 or nick@neted.org No charge for attendees. Press welcome. More details at http://www.netcaucus.org/events/2008/sotnwest/

Directions, public transportation, map, and parking info can all be found at: http://scu.edu/map/

Contact: Nick Proferes
nick@neted.org
202-638-4370 ext. 326 (o)

The Congressional Internet Caucus Advisory Committee in collaboration with the High Tech Law Institute at Santa Clara School of Law cordially invites you to attend the 2nd Annual State of the Net West Conference on Wednesday, August 6th, 2008, at Santa Clara University School of Law, from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. The discussion will feature leaders of the Congressional Internet Caucus, including Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren, Congressman Mike Honda, and Congressman Bob Goodlatte. Other participants will include West Coast academic scholars, public interest advocates, and industry executives during a series of discussions on current, important technology policy issues. State of the Net West is designed to channel West Coast thought leadership from the academic community and private sector to help inform the technology policy issues being debated in Washington.

The State of the Net West Conference allows for bicoastal networking and dialogue on key policy issues to take place in the heart of Silicon Valley. Participate in lively debates exploring the following topics:

• “Will Our Reputations and Privacy Survive the Age of Social Networking?”
• “Can ISP Immunity Survive the Onslaught of Web 2.0?”
• “The Movement of Information from the Crowd to the Cloud”

The Congressional Internet Caucus Advisory Committee hosts the annual “State of the Net Conference” in Washington to frame many of the technology policy debates that Congress grapples with throughout the year. State of the Net has grown into the largest and most influential information technology policy conference in the country to discuss technology trends and the enormous challenges that lawmakers, industry leaders, and citizens must confront and resolve. While the State of the Net Conference has been an unmitigated success at framing the debate in Washington, an infusion of intellectual capital from the West Coast significantly enhances the State of the Net discussions.

The 2008 State of the Net West conference will bring technology to the forefront of the policy debate, while adding in new developments, perspectives, and ideas to the discussions. The event will incorporate panel discussions by prominent speakers and tech policy experts covering various topics of concern.

WHEN: Wednesday, August 6th, 2008, 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

WHERE: Santa Clara Law School, Santa Clara University, 500 El Camino Real, Santa Clara, California 95053

RSVP: This event is open and free to the public. However, registration is required since lunch will be served. Please visit http://www.netcaucus.org/events/2008/sotnwest/ for registration and other information.

This is a widely attended event hosted by the Congressional Internet Caucus Advisory Committee (ICAC), part of a 501(c)(3) charitable organization. The ICAC is a private-sector organization comprised of public interest groups, trade associations, non-profits, and industry leaders. The diversity of ICAC membership ensures that all educational events and initiatives are fair and balanced forums for Internet-related discussion. The ICAC does not promote any particular legislative position.

New Poll Indicates a Majority Feel Social Networking Eroding Kids’ Respect for Privacy; Few Adults Strongly Believe They Are Cyber Secure.

Washington, DC, Jun. 12 - On the heels of the release of new Zogby poll data on Internet Safety, Congressional policymakers and members of the online safety community have formed a “National Partnership for Safe Computing” to promote better awareness of online safety and cyber security.

The launch of the National Partnership for Safe Computing will bring online safety advocates, educators, and industry, together with Members of Congress to engage Americans on the topic of online safety and security. This pro-active solution to online threats is driven by promoting and facilitating education for parents and families.  Speakers including Congresswoman Melissa Bean, Congressman Frank Wolf, and Commissioner Pamela Jones Harbour from the Federal Trade Commission will make supporting comments for the National Partnership preceding the second annual Town Hall Open House in the U.S. Capitol.

“The Partnership demonstrates not only the leadership of the private sector but also those Members of Congress who have rolled up their sleeves to help Internet users and parents across America take control of their online experiences,” said Tim Lordan, Executive Director of the National Partnership for Safe Computing.

The Zogby poll results demonstrate that parents are concerned about the effect of social networking sites on their children’s privacy and illustrates some confusion on where to turn to for advice on parenting in the digital age.

Among the poll results:

* The poll information indicates that many feel that the Internet and social networking are fundamentally changing youth’s concepts of privacy. As social networking becomes further integrated into the culture of youth, the results of this are manifesting in the changing of social norms.  A majority (72.2%) of individuals agreed that the Internet, specifically social networking, is eroding younger people’s respect for their own personal privacy.

* While social networking may be seen as eroding youth’s respect for privacy, social networking is not without a possible positive role in safe computing. When asked where they would turn first to get information about Internet safety, more than twice as many parents responded that they would turn to friends (27.7%) over law enforcement (11.5%).

* Underscoring the emphasis for expanding conversations surrounding safe computing in the home, a majority of individuals (72.3%) indicated that their families have had conversations about the Internet and safety issues. Despite the fact that many have had conversations surrounding the Internet and safety issues, a smaller percentage (65.6%) feel that they are actually protected from online fraud. Of the 65.6% that responded the felt they are protected from online fraud, only 13.7% responded that they strongly felt this way.

National Partners for Safe Computing:

Honorary Congressional Partners
Representative Melissa Bean (IL-8)
Representative Frank Wolf (VA-10)
Representative Thelma Drake (VA-2)
Representative Bob Goodlatte (VA-6)
Representative J. Randy Forbes (VA-4)
Representative Mark Kirk (IL-10)
Representative Randy Kuhl (NY-29)
Representative Lamar Smith (TX-21)

Private Sector Partners
American Library Association
AT&T
Comcast
Common Sense Media
ConnectSafely.com
CyberSmart!
Federal Trade Commission
GetNetWise
i-SAFE
iKeepSafe
National Cyber Security Alliance
NCTA/Cable in the Classroom
Qwest Communications
TRUSTe
Verizon
Web Wise Kids

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About the Survey:

The Zogby poll surveyed adults with children under 18 years old from 6/6/08 through 6/9/08 nationwide. It has a margin of error of +/- 1.7 percent. Communications firm 463 Communications helped conceive and develop the survey and the poll was made possible with generous support from Comcast Communications and Qwest Communications.

Today IEF Executive Director Tim Lordan addressed the Federal Trade Commission’s “Mobile Marketplace” hearing on Location-Based Services.The Congressional Internet Caucus Advisory Committee has a long history of addressing the location based privacy and safety issues (See Wireless Task Force). Lordan applauded the Commission on it’s efforts to bring itself up to speed on the mobile and location issues. The Commission can serve an extremely important oversight role in an extremely rapidly evolving marketplace.

Also, Lordan announced the 2nd annual “Location Privacy and Safety Summit” in October 2008 in Washington, DC. The Summit will be hosted with George Washington University Law School and the Berkeley Center for Law & Technology. The summit will bring together key industry players, academics, NGOs and government policymakers.

American Public Media’s “Future Tense” program featured IEF Executive Director Tim Lordan in a segment called “Americans more comfortable when kids go online” on April 16, 2008. The segment discussed changing attitudes toward kids’ using social networking sites. An MP3 of the segment can be downloaded here. Future Tense is hosted by Jon Gordon and is aired throughout the United States and Canada.

Zogby/463 Nationwide Survey Exposes Americans’ Concern Over Kids’ Use of Technology Rapidly Evolving

Washington, DC, March 31, 2008 - A new nationwide survey shows that Americans have a growing comfort level with young people using Internet technologies such as social networking sites, chat rooms and email. The survey - conducted by Zogby International on behalf of the Congressional Internet Caucus Advisory Committee and 463 Communications - still shows large numbers of Americans concerned about the online activity of young people but those views are rapidly changing.

The survey compares results to a similar study conducted last year for the Congressional Internet Caucus Advisory Committee. In the 2008 survey, 27.7 percent of Americans said that social networking sites and chat rooms should be restricted to adults. Yet this was a dramatic decline from an identical 2007 survey in which 35.3 percent said that only adults should participate in social networking and chat sites. In contrast, seniors over age 70 still feel strongly concerned regarding social networking sites. The percentage of seniors who believed that children should wait until their adult years before chatting and social networking actually increased from 34.6 percent in 2007 to 38.3 percent in 2008.

More results from the surveys:

* The percentage of Americans who thought children should not have access to email until they were adults dropped from a sizable 14.7 percent in 2007 to an almost negligible 2.4 percent in 2008.

* The percentage of those who thought that children should wait until adulthood before surfing the Web dropped from 17.4 percent in 2007 to 4.2 percent in 2008.

“The survey results suggest that Americans are increasingly accepting greater use of new online technologies by our young people,” said Tim Lordan, executive director. “Yet the survey shows that it may take some time for many Americans to become comfortable with how kids are social networking and chatting.”

Despite an evolving comfort level with youth use of the Internet, the survey revealed significant concerns with social networking technologies. For instance, a significant majority of those surveyed, 63.2 percent, believed that children under 16 years old should not have use social networking sites and chat rooms. In contrast most of the major social networking sites today prohibit users less than 14 years old.

The 2008 Zogby poll surveyed 3,585 adults and was conducted from January 21-23. It has a margin of error of +/- 1.7 percent. The 2007 Zogby poll surveyed 1,200 adults and was conducted from January 24-26. It has a margin of error of +/- 2.9 percent. 463 Communications helped conceive and develop the survey.

About the Congressional Internet Caucus Advisory Committee: The Congressional Internet Caucus Advisory Committee (ICAC) is a diverse group of public interest, non-profit and industry groups working to educate the Congress and the public about important Internet-related policy issues. The ICAC is a project of the Internet Education Foundation, a 501 (c)(3) charitable organization. http://www.netcaucus.org/

More about Zogby International can be found at http://www.zogby.com/

More about 463 Communications can be found at http://www.463.com/

For more information, contact: Tim Lordan, 202-638-4370 ext 323, tlordan@netcaucus.org

Today the Internet Education Foundation declined an invitation to participate in a “task force” effort resulting from the “Joint Statement on Key Principles of Social Networking Safety” announced in January 2008 by MySpace and the Attorneys General Multi-State Working Group on Social Networking.

Our reasons for deciding not to participate are two fold. First, the Internet Education Foundation, as its name suggests, is generally focused on Internet safety education and we believe our time is best spent toward that charter. Over the next year our Internet safety workload — both through the Congressional Internet Caucus Advisory Committee (CICAC) and through GetNetWise — is enormous. Our stakeholders are urging us to host Internet safety policy events in Washington and continue the educational work of GetNetWise.org.

Second, we feel very strongly the work of the task force is far too important to be hampered by task force participants that are age verification technology vendors.  From the outset we expressed our concern with financial interests of vendors clouding the sober judgment of this important work. That should be a cornerstone principle for the task force and we hope that it reconsiders that principle. We also hope that the process will be open and transparent, much like the work of the COPA Commission.

The work of this task force is important and will require significant research. We recognize that the results of the task force’s work could have serious repercussions for online safety. We sincerely hope that the task force will be able to conduct its research in a civil and sober manner, while recognizing the short timeline before the report is required.

Voters Expect Next President to be as Internet Savvy as They Are, Survey Finds

Internet #1 Source of Candidate Info for Voters, According to Zogby/Congressional Internet Caucus Advisory Committee Survey

Washington, DC, Jan. 30 -Voters sent a clear message to the presidential campaigns, make the technology a top policy priority. 44.7 percent expect the next President to be Internet savvy, according to a new poll conducted by Zogby International on behalf of the Congressional Internet Caucus Advisory Committee in advance of its annual policy conference in Washington. The Zogby poll underscores how mainstream the Internet has become to Americans.

Not surprisingly, the Internet has dethroned radio and television as the primary source of candidate information for an increasingly Internet savvy electorate. 47.7 percent of those polled cited the Internet as the primary source of their knowledge of the presidential candidates. Only 31 percent and 13 percent cited television and radio respectively as the primary source. The poll also revealed that the next president should prioritize energy technology policy foremost with privacy and security policy next.

Despite the increasing pro-technology positions voters overwhelmingly rejected Internet voting, citing concerns over cyber security voting fraud.

“The Internet has become the ultimate tool for democracy,” said Tim Lordan, executive director. “The Internet as ‘fundraiser’ has been understood for some time, but the displacement of television and radio as top sources of voter information is a sea change that is destined to advantage the most Internet savvy candidate of the pack.”

The survey was released in advance of the Congressional Internet Caucus Advisory Committee annual State of the Net policy conference in Washington, DC on Jan. 30. Representatives from the presidential candidates expected to discuss Internet policy on the opening panel called POTUS 2.0 ‘09.

Among the poll results:

· Concerns over voter fraud doomed prospects for Internet voting with 67.2 percent saying it was a bad idea.

· While Energy Technology (37.7 percent) and Privacy/Security (28.9 percent) placed first and second in issues to be addressed by the next president, Health IT surprisingly never rose above third in priority among any demographic including seniors. Digital divide remained a priority among those polled, yet placed only fourth.

The poll sheds light on the enigmatic state of privacy expectations among Americans. Americans uniformly share a visceral privacy concern when their geo-location (GPS) data is exposed (49.4 percent). Concerns over other exposures were overall much lower: 11.1 percent if someone posted a picture of them in a swimsuit; 10.7 percent if someone posted a picture of them visibly drunk; 9.2 percent if someone posted a video of them simply talking with their friends. The fact that there was a negligible difference in privacy concerns between the posting of a drunken photo and the posting of a seemingly benign video of them speaking with their friends indicates that video by its nature elicits a more visceral privacy concern than mere photos, regardless of the substance.

Among the age groups polled, 18-24 year-olds and those over 70 expressed the most privacy concern over the posting of a drunken photo. Remarkably, contrasted with the drunken photo, 25-34 year-olds were more concerned about the posting of a video of them speaking with their friends while 35-54 year-olds were more concerned with the posting of them in a swimsuit.

Despite the perception of being tech savvy, fewer 18-24 year-olds believed they could effectively do their job as well from home than any other age group except seniors over 70. Interestingly, more women (30.2%) believed they could always do their job as well from home than did their male counterparts (21.9%).

In yet another reproach of Britney Spears behavior, 83.3 percent of those polled condemned SMS or email as an acceptable method to break off a romance.

The Zogby poll surveyed 3,585 adults and was conducted from 1/21-1/23. It has a margin of error of +/- 1.7 percent. Conference sponsor 463 Communications helped conceive and develop the survey.

For more information, contact:

Danielle Yates, 949-280-0703,  arodway@neted.org

The Internet Education Foundation has been selected as a participant in Google’s inaugural Policy Fellowship Program.  The purpose of the program is to “support students and organizations working on policy issues fundamental to the future of the Internet and its users.”  The program is open to undergraduate, graduate, and law students interested in learning more about Internet-related public policy issues by working with organizations that contribute to the public dialogue in both Washington and San Francisco.  The application deadline is January 1, 2008.  More information is available at www.google.com/policyfellowship/ .

Last week the Congressional Internet Caucus Advisory Committee partnered with the Oxford Internet Institute to convene a first of its kind international Internet policy dialogue in London. Distinguished policymakers from the U.S., U.K. and E.U. engaged on challenging Internet issues with a crowd of leading tech policy academics, industry executives and NGO representatives. Professor Bill Dutton and colleagues from the University of Oxford moderated dialogue on compelling issues such as telecom regulation, intellectual property protection, privacy/security and Internet governance.  Congressional Internet Caucus Co-Chairs - Congressmen Rick Boucher and Bob Goodlatte - shared their insight on the opportunities and challenges facing global policymakers, industry and consumers.

More information, including bios for principal participants, can be found at www.netcaucus.org/global.