Politech: FC: U.S. Chamber of Commerce opposes "cybercrime" treaty

[Declan McCullagh <declan () well com>]

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This press release came out yesterday. Background:
http://www.politechbot.com/p-01136.html
http://www.politechbot.com/p-01431.html
http://www.politechbot.com/p-01553.html
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U.S. Chamber Opposes European Cyber Crime Treaty

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The United States Chamber of Commerce urged Congress to 
prevent international action on cyber crime that would hurt U.S. interests, 
saying the current draft of a Council of Europe treaty could violate 
American consumers' rights and undermine economic growth in this country's 
technology sector.
"The United States must not agree to any treaty that fails to protect the 
rights of consumers and places unnecessary and costly burdens on e-Commerce 
companies," said Rick Lane, Chamber Director of eCommerce and Internet 
Technology.  "The treaty proposed by the Council of Europe goes too far and 
could undermine the incredible growth we have seen in electronic commerce."
Protecting America's technological infrastructure from cyber-terrorism and 
computer hacking is critical to U.S. businesses that rely on the Internet 
to buy and sell goods, according to the Chamber.  But the Council of Europe 
Convention on Cyber Crime would impose unworkable and possibly unlawful 
restrictions on the business practices of U.S. firms.
"The Chamber is calling on Congress and the Department of Justice to 
protect the growing Internet marketplace for consumers and businesses," 
said Lane.  "We are reaching out to our business partners around the world 
to warn them of the dangers presented by this treaty."
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is the world's largest business federation 
representing more than three million businesses and organizations of every 
size, sector and region.
For More Information Call

Chamber Media Relations at 202-463-5682




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