IP: VP Statement on Inappropriate Material on the Internet

[Dave Farber <farber () cis upenn edu>]

> From Thomas_A._Kalil () opd eop gov


Vice President Gore's statement is being misinterpreted
in the press as calling for mandatory filtering.  Actually, he's
calling for schools and libraries to develop "acceptable use policies."
See statement below.


- Tom Kalil
The White House
kalil_t () a1 eop gov






                              THE WHITE HOUSE


                       Office of the Vice President
___________________________________________________________
For Immediate Release:                        Contact:
Monday, March 23, 1998                        (202) 456-7035




      STATEMENT OF THE VICE PRESIDENT ON PROTECTING OUR CHILDREN FROM
                  INAPPROPRIATE MATERIAL ON THE INTERNET


     As we connect every school and classroom to the Internet, we must
protect our children from the red-light districts of cyberspace.


     That is why the President and I are encouraging Congress to pass
legislation that would require every school and library using the e-rate to
develop a plan to protect their schoolchildren from inappropriate content.
The e-rate is a new federal program that provides as much as $2.25 billion
a year to connect schools and libraries to the Internet.


     This legislation is not a ?one-size-fits-all-approach? that mandates
government values in our schools.   Instead, our plan will empower schools
to make decisions based on local values--protecting children from
inappropriate material while also protecting the first amendment values we
all hold dear.


     We must bring the combined power of parents, teachers, and technology
together if we are going to protect our students in a way that will work in
every community and reflect the values of each community.


     I call on Congress to pass this legislation which protects our
children from inappropriate material on the Internet and will do more than
ever before to make cyberspace a safe space for our children.