Anti-terrorism v. free speech

By Michael Fraase

Friday, 16 August 1996 04:57PM CST

Section: Censorship

In late July 1996 the G7 nations announced plans to monitor online communications as part of a concerted attempt to curtail international terrorism. A little-known provision of the Antiterrorism Bill (H.R. 2703; S.735) that became law in April 1996 requires the United States Justice Department to conduct a 180-day study of bomb information available on the Internet.

At the same time, new legislation was introduced in the United States by Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) that would criminalize publication of bomb-making information in both electronic and print media. Companion legislation was introduced in the United States House of Representatives by Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY). Although Feinstein’s bill doesn’t draw a distinction between various media, the California senator has consistently drawn attention to what she describes as the easy availability of such information in cyberspace. In a Cable News Network (CNN) interview, Feinstein made specific reference to Internet sites that provide instructions for making pipe bombs. Some observers feel that this is an attempt to restrict certain types of speech in electronic media that are protected in print media.

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