[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 2]
[Senate]
[Pages 2899-2900]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                      THE INTERNET AND CYBERSPACE

  Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, if I may take a moment or two, we have 
just concluded on the House floor a bipartisan meeting between Members 
of the House and Senator Allen and myself where we had some 400-plus 
individuals from all across the United States discussing a wide range 
of issues regarding the Internet and cyberspace. It was a fascinating 
discussion. That group is soon to come over to this Chamber, following 
the Senate standing in recess, where Senator Allen and I will continue 
that discussion, but we will also speak about the history of this 
Chamber.
  In the course of my remarks--and then I will call on my distinguished 
colleague to follow with his remarks--I addressed the extraordinary 
problem that the entire Nation is facing with regard to those devising 
capabilities to hack into our computer systems and, as chairman of the 
Armed Services Committee, what our committee is now doing with the 
subcommittee on emerging threats, which under the leadership of Senator 
Roberts has taken many strides towards trying to take positive actions 
to stop the invasion of our computer systems.
  In the year 1999, there were over 20,000 invasions of various 
computer systems in the Department of Defense, and in the following 
year up to 24,000 intrusions into our system. That says to us, as we 
proceed to make our military more high tech, we are highly vulnerable 
because of that situation, and I urge this group to work more closely 
with the Department of Defense and other departments and agencies 
within the Federal Government to do everything we can to try to make 
more secure our computers and other aspects of cyberspace.
  It is to the advantage of the private sector because security against 
hacking into their system--a bank going into accounts, an investment 
house going into accounts, medical things, people working on patents, 
and so forth--is desperately needed. I am pleased to be a part of the 
team here in the Senate that is looking at this.
  I now ask if my distinguished colleague, the junior Senator from 
Virginia, who is chairman on our side, so to speak, of the high-tech 
task force, would care to say a few remarks. I might add we are trying 
to prolong this session a few minutes so the pages don't have homework. 
For those who follow these proceedings, we are just about there.
  I yield to the Senator.
  Mr. ALLEN. Mr. President, I thank the senior Senator, Mr. Warner, for 
allowing me to make a few remarks about technology. It is a great honor 
to be chairman of the Senate Republican high-tech task force, where we 
are looking at a variety of issues to allow the technology community to 
continue to improve our lives.
  Senator Warner has been a tremendous leader in this regard, 
especially as far as security is concerned. We all on the task force 
very much look forward to his further contributions.
  The people in this country are benefiting a great deal from the 
technology in communications, and in commerce there is tremendous 
potential, as well as in education, in biotechnology, in 
transportation, and elsewhere. Just for people to understand our 
philosophy, we trust free people and free enterprise. People should not 
be limited or hampered in their creativity, and it should be the 
marketplace, free people making free choices as to whether or not 
someone's technological invention or innovations are worthy of their 
purchases.
  So we think those are the principles that should be guiding us in 
determining the success determined by the people in the marketplace.
  Mr. President, in recognizing how much technological opportunity we 
have, we need to make sure that our rural communities have access to 
high-speed Internet capabilities. But these technologies not only have 
not reached all the areas of our country, which is important, but they 
certainly haven't reached all corners of the world.
  Consider this: If the entire world population was reduced to 100 
people, with the current ratios staying the same, here are a few 
examples of how the world would look: Out of the 100; 57 would be 
Asians; 21 European; 14 would be from the Western Hemisphere, North and 
South America; 8 would be Africans; approximately 80 out of the hundred 
would live in substandard housing; about 60 to 70 would be unable to 
read; 50 would suffer from malnutrition; 50 would not have made their 
first telephone call; about 1 would have a college education; and maybe 
1\1/2\ out of 100 of the world's population would have a computer.
  As you can see, we have a long way to go. So we need to understand 
that this country is the technology leader. It is what is allowing us 
to compete in the international marketplace, to improve our methods of 
manufacturing and production in an efficient, top-quality approach, as 
well as reducing emissions and toxins.
  I think as long as we continue to foster the proper tax, regulatory, 
and educational policies in this country, and as long as the 
invigorating breeze of freedom continues to blow into new markets and 
places in the world, technology will improve construction, 
communications, education, life sciences, medical sciences, and 
transportation.

[[Page 2900]]

  I very much look forward to the leadership of the President and 
Senator Warner in the Senate to allow the technological revolution to 
continue to improve our lives and those of our fellow human beings here 
on earth.
  Mr. WARNER. I thank my distinguished colleague. How much I look 
forward to working with him here in the Senate.

                          ____________________