EXECUTIVE ORDER TO ESTABLISH WORKING
GROUP
ON UNLAWFUL CONDUCT ON THE INTERNET
August 6, 1999
FACT SHEET
- The Vice President announced today a new effort by the Administration to
address unlawful conduct involving the use of the Internet.
Specifically, the Executive Order will create a Working Group, chaired by the
Attorney General, that will address legal and policy issues relating to
unlawful conduct on the Internet.
- While the Internet provides dramatic and exciting benefits to enhance our
lives, it also allows those who want to violate or evade the law an
opportunity to reach exponentially greater numbers of people. The
Working Group provides a mechanism to take a comprehensive look at our
policies and assess the scope and applicability of current law to unlawful
activity on the Internet, the extent to which new technological tools or
resources can help in the fight against crime, and the potential to use other
means to lower the risks from unlawful acts on the Internet.
- In the spirit of the Administration’s Framework for Global Electronic
Commerce, the Working Group will undertake its review in the context of
Administration policy that emphasizes industry self-regulation where possible,
technology-neutral laws and regulations, and an appreciation of the Internet
as an important medium both domestically and internationally for commerce and
free speech.
- The Attorney General will serve as Chair for the Working Group, which will
include:
- The Director of the Office of Management and Budget,
- The Secretary of the Treasury,
- The Secretary of Commerce,
- The Secretary of Education,
- The Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation,
- The Director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms,
- The Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration,
- The Chairman of the Federal Trade Commission
- The Administrator of the Food and Drug Administration, and
- Other federal officials deemed appropriate by the Chair of the Working
Group.
The Chair and Vice Chair of the Vice President’s Electronic Commerce
Working Group will serve as liaisons to the Group.
- As it carries out its mandate, the Working Group will seek input from
industry, consumer, and other private sector groups, along with state and
local law enforcement officials.
- The Executive Order provides that the Working Group will provide a report
and recommendations to the President and Vice President within 120 days on:
- The applicability of existing federal laws to unlawful conduct involving
the use of the Internet (e.g., sale of guns, explosives, controlled
substances, and prescription drugs);
- The need for new technological and legal tools to investigate and
prosecute such conduct; and
- The potential for new or existing tools to educate and empower parents,
teachers, and others to pre vent or to minimize the risks from unlawful
conduct on the Internet.
Last updated October 25, 1999usdoj-crm/mis/mdf