[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 18]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 27301-27302]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                 THE RESPONSIBLE MONITORING ACT OF 2000

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. CHRIS CANNON

                                of utah

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, December 15, 2000

  Mr. CANNON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce the ``Responsible 
Monitoring Act of 2000.'' This bill is intended to make the Internet a 
better, safer place by encouraging voluntary efforts to detect and stop 
illegal activities. This legislation would provide real incentives for 
responsible monitoring by ``E-commerce'' businesses that host consumer-
to-consumer transactions on their web sites. Allowing e-companies to 
monitor their sites and remove illegal goods and services offered for 
sale by others, is the right approach for a better Internet. 
Unfortunately, current law actually discourages E-commerce companies 
from even looking for illegal activity on their sites.

[[Page 27302]]

Under current law ignorance is bliss, and those companies most active 
in protecting their users are most at risk. This situation must be 
changed.
  I realize that this bill will not be acted upon in the 106th Congress 
prior to adjournment, but I believe it is crucial to put the issue 
before the House now to get members thinking about a solution. As long 
as e-companies remain under the threat of litigation they will be 
reluctant to self monitor. I will reintroduce similar legislation in 
the 107th Congress and request hearings. I am aware, however, that 
content providers, privacy advocates, and others have concerns about 
this issue. I would like to invite all concerned parties to work with 
us in the next Congress to find a workable solution that addresses all 
concerns and encourages voluntary, responsible monitoring on the 
Internet.

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