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Press Releases

UNITED STATES DISTANCE LEARNING ASSOCIATION
8 Winter Street, Suite 508 Boston, MA  02108

WHAT KEY CONSUMER ADVOCATES ARE SAYING
IN DEFENSE OF ONLINE PRIVACY!

"Consumers must feel secure in their online privacy. If they are fearful about their private information being available to anyone, they are much less likely to utilize advanced telecommunications services, which can improve the quality of life. If this happens with online music, what is going to be the case with medical information used for telemedicine? This is about privacy, not piracy."
- Matt Bennett, Alliance for Public Technology (APT)

"Effective copyright enforcement need not come at the expense of individual privacy. CDT believes that a better balance can and should be struck."
- Alan Davidson, Associate Director, Center for Democracy and Technology

“The 1st Amendment protects online consumers rights to anonymous speech and provides safeguards and notice before they are breached. This ruling sets a dangerous precedent by allowing third parties the right to identify any consumer using a file-swapping program without legal authorization.
The bottom line is that consumers should feel secure when online and know that their personal information will be protected - not shared or compromised without permission.”
- Ken McEldowney, Executive Director, Consumer Action

“Congress’s goal in the DMCA was to strike a careful balance among copyright owners, network
operators and consumers concerned about their privacy rights. The lower court decision would not
require any copyright owner to meet even a minimal burden of proof before demanding customer data from every ISP they can find. The potential that this could tip Congress’s carefully developed balance should concern all connected service providers.”
- Jonathan Potter, Digital Media Association

"The recent recording industry ruling against Verizon creates serious consumer privacy implications at a time when many companies in other sectors are making sincere and concerted efforts to provide their customers with greater privacy protection.
The decision is particularly burdensome for Internet Service Providers who are already struggling with two other privacy-related problems, rising volumes of spam, and an increase in the number of law enforcement requests for customers information. Given that other means of protecting copyright are available, a decision to pursue one which undermines consumer privacy is not only regrettable, but also, given the potential impact on the technical infrastructure of the Internet, very risky.”
- Stephen Cobb, CISSP, author of "Privacy for Business" and Senior V.P. of ePrivacy Group, a Philadelphia-based privacy consulting and technology company.

“Verizon understands that when you make a telephone call, you expect that you can communicate with the person on the other end of the conversation with firm knowledge that nobody from Verizon is sitting there listening to it or is getting ready to turn the names of all its customers to anybody who just walks up with a piece of paper. And they understand that this applies to the Internet in the same way and even more. And has steadfastly stood up to this highly inappropriate action."
- Andrew Schwartzman, President, Media Access Project (MAP), October 2, 2002

“The RIAA subpoena to Verizon represents an issue of grave concern to consumers and consumer advocates. The National Association of Consumer Agency Administrators (NACAA) has been concerned about Internet privacy for some time. In July of 2000, the membership adopted a resolution stating that 92 percent of consumers are concerned about misuse of their personal information online and do not trust companies to keep their information confidential.
We continue to support and recommend passage of legislation and/or regulations protecting consumers’ privacy rights on the Internet.”
- Nancy Sabella, Executive Director, National Association of Consumer Agency Administrators (NACAA)

“The National Consumers League (NCL) is dedicated to educating consumers about preserving privacy and security of personal information online. We disagree with the judgment that private consumer information should be turned over to a third party without due process, and feel this would weaken online consumer confidence.”
- Linda Golodner, President, National Consumers League

“Verizon should be commended for fighting the RIAA on this issue. Hollywood should not be able to run roughshod over Internet users' privacy without exercising proper due process. Without legal constraints, the entertainment industry is likely to engage in a wide-ranging fishing expedition in order to identify so-called copyright violators.”
- Beth Givens, Director, Privacy Rights Clearinghouse

“Public Knowledge supports enforcement of existing copyright laws to limit illegal file trading over P2P networks. But these laws should not be enforced without due process. By allowing copyright holders to obtain the names of Internet users without a judicial determination that Internet users are likely engaged in illegal conduct, this ruling permits virtual ‘witch hunts’ for defendants presenting the worst facts or having profiles least likely to garner public or judicial sympathy.”
- Gigi B. Sohn, President, Public Knowledge

“This decision could have a chilling effect on the way we communicate online. TRAC is concerned that relinquishing personal information without legal safeguards will irrevocably harm consumers and ultimately the usefulness of online services.”
- Kate Dean, Telecommunications Research & Action Center (TRAC)

"As a national organization committed to distance learning we take the privacy of our members very seriously, and so we commend Verizon and like ISPs for fighting to keep the personal information of online consumers private as well."
- Dr. John G. Flores, Chief Executive Officer, United States Distance Learning Association (USDLA)

“It was never the intent of the Congress that copyright holders should have the right to invade the personal privacy and security of American consumers on the basis of allegations, and without due process under the law. Internet service providers and their subscribers have the right to be secure in their persons, houses, papers and effects, including on the Internet. USIIA endorses and will support efforts by Verizon and other parties to stay and overturn this ruling.”
- Dave McClure, President, United States Internet Industry Association (USIIA)

“THE READING URGED BY RIAA WILL PRODUCE SERIOUS ABUSES OF SUBPOENA POWER… Anyone with a claim of copyright infringement can demand identifying information – names, home phone numbers, addresses, and the like – about a potentially unlimited number of Americans.”
- Excerpt from United States Internet Service Providers Association (USISPA) amicus brief filed in RIAA vs. Verizon is support of respondent

"The (RIAA) recording industry’s legal tactics are a screeching Siren Song that threatens to smash privacy and consumer protections into the rocks of corporate abuse."
- Michael Shames, Executive Director, Utility Consumers' Action Network (UCAN)