Reviewing this Platform in 1996, we are impressed by how much of it is still true today in spite of the great changes that have taken place in these last four years. In late 1993, the Clinton administration announced its goals for the creation of a National Information Infrastructure. At the same time, they made it clear that this upgrade to our telecommunications system would not be created with federal money, but would be left to a competitive marketplace. This is little recognition of the impact that this information economy will have on our society. While most people are focusing on how we will wire-up our nations homes, few people are looking at what the market economy will do to information availability, how it will affect job opportunities, nor its impact on the growing gap between the "haves" and "have nots" in our country, Already, the deregulation of telecommunications carriers legislated in the Telecommunications Act of 1996 has led to mergers and layoffs. In 1995, a record number of telecommunications workers lost their jobs, and there are estimates that as many as one hundred thousand more will be laid off in the next five years. (Arnst. Catherine. The bloodletting at AT&T is just the beginning. Business Week, Jan. 15, 1996. p. 30.) We have added 1996 updates to some of the factual statements in this platform and have extended the bibliography with recent works. Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility/Berkeley Chapter May 1996

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The use of computers in education is not in itself a "good thing." Computers should not be used to take the place of teachers in the classroom. Langdon Winner warns of a kind of educational "downsizing: that is being justified with increased 'virtual' education: But the dreary condition that underlies it all is that more students are going to be taught be fewer faculty...As the virtual classroom expands, our students can look forward to receiving what seems like, but is not quite, an education." (Winner, Langdon. The virtually educated. Technology Review, v. 97, n.4, May-June, 994. p. 66)

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In November of 1994, the percentage of households with personal computers was 35%, with no more than 35% of those households also have a modem. The greatest disparity in computer ownership was based on family income, with race and achieved educational level being the next greatest influences. Differences between rural and urban households were the least significant. (Source: U.S. Department of Commerce. Falling Through the Net: A Survey of the "Have Nots" in Rural and Urban America,1995.)

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Since the first writing of this report, the hope for ISDN has faded considerably. Not only have telephone systems failed to implement ISDN, but the extraordinary growth of the World Wide Web and graphical interface access to the Internet has rendered the ISDN bandwidth less acceptable. But we are no closer to a solution to the problem of high-speed bandwidth to our nation's residential areas.

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The American Library Association's "Goal 2000" program is aimed at getting libraries connected to information networks and at informing the public about the positive role that libraries can play in the information age. (For more info see: American Library Association, Goal 2000)

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See publication of the American Library Association, "Less Access to Less Information..." in the More Further Reading section.

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In 1995, the Working Group on Intellectual Property of the Department of Congress's Information Infrastructure Task Force produced a recommendation for changes to the copyright law relating to digital and networked information resources. These changes, introduced as bills in Congress in 1996, strengthen the commercial interest in intellectual property at the expense of the public interest. The Digital Futures Coalition

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Privacy concerns have become pervasive on computer networks. Public interest groups, including CPSR, have formed the Internet Privacy Coalition to address these issues. (For more info: Internet Privacy Coalition)

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Lawsuits holding system administrators responsible for the actions of their customers or content stored on the system have led to a siege mentality among small and large system operators. Though the Telecommunications Bill of 1996 contained some language protecting systems from undue liability, lawsuits and investigations are still taking place with alarming regularity. If held liable, system administrators will prefer to take the safe route of pre-censoring speech on their systems, leaving no room for the First Amendment in "cyberspace."

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The encryption question came to national attention in 1994 when the Clinton administration mandated the use of the Clipper Chip in federal communications. The action brought an outcry of protest both in the networked community and in the computer industry. This escrowed encryption scheme is not in wide use, but is now a model for other attempts by the government to eliminate secure personal communication. The main proponents of escrowed encryption are federal law enforcement agencies. (For more info: CPSR's Clipper Chip archive)

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In 1994 Congress passed the "Digital Telephony" bill that requires communications carriers to make their digital technologies "wiretap friendly." This bill, proposed by the FBI, is the first time that a law has required that telecommunications technology support the invasion of privacy by the government. The half-billion dollar cost will be borne by taxpayers, and actual expenses are expected to rise.

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Repetitive motion disorders continue to occur in epidemic proportions, though the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) has announced that the rate of these disorders is dropping. "Even though the rate went up only 7 percent from 1993 to 1994, the AFL-CIO responded to the BLS data by emphasizing that there has been an 800 percent increase over the last decade." (Source: "Who's right? Is CTDs outlook improving, or are they 'alarming' epidemic?" Occupational Hazards, March, 1996, p. 23.)

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