Free Republic

Cyberspace has become an indispensible component of everyday life for all Americans.  We have all witnessed how the application and use of this technology has increased exponentially over the years. Cyberspace includes the networks in our homes, businesses, schools, and our Nation’s critical infrastructure.  It is where we exchange information, buy and sell products and services, and enable many other types of transactions across a wide range of sectors. But not all components of this technology have kept up with the pace of growth.  Privacy and security require greater emphasis moving forward; and because of this, the technology that has brought many...

Shanghai. (Interfax-China) - China will install a special surveillance system for all Internet cafes nationwide by the end of 2004, according to an official statement from China's Ministry of Culture (MOC). Once installed, this new surveillance system will require all Internet cafes customers to enter personal information, such as name, age, and their national citizen identification number, before they are allowed to log onto the Internet. New supervisory centers will also be set up around the country to monitor the online activities of Internet cafe customers. To date, Sichuan, Guangxi, Hubei, Zhejiang, and Jiangxi provinces have already completed installing this...

Howard Dean's 'smart ID' plan By Declan McCullagh CNET News.com January 26, 2004, 5:18 AM PT Add your opinion Forward in Format for COMMENTARY--After Howard Dean's unexpected defeat last week in Iowa, public attention has focused on his temper, his character, and that guttural Tyrannosaurus bellow of his not-quite-a-concession speech. But Dean's views on Americans' privacy rights may be a superior test of his fitness to be president. Dean's current stand on privacy appears to leave little wiggle room: His campaign platform pledges unwavering support for "the constitutional principles of equality, liberty and privacy." Fifteen months before Dean said he...