[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 35, Number 48 (Monday, December 6, 1999)]
[Pages 2453-2454]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

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The President's Radio Address

November 27, 1999

    Good morning. On this holiday weekend, when we count our many 
blessings, Americans are also busy buying gifts for the next holidays, 
right around the corner. Today I'd like to speak with you about the 
remarkable rise of the Internet as a destination for holiday shopping 
and about how we can ensure that on-line commerce will live up to its 
enormous promise.
    On Thanksgiving, beyond our family's personal blessings, my family 
and I gave thanks for the enormous prosperity America is carrying 
forward into the 21st century. One of the key reasons our economy 
continues to thrive, with the longest peacetime expansion in history, is 
that we're making the most of new technologies. Especially, the Internet 
and other information technologies are revolutionizing our economy, 
powering one-third of our economic growth.
    As the Vice President will make clear in a report he'll soon 
release, few applications of information technology have more potential 
than electronic commerce. During the holiday season alone, on-line 
shopping could exceed $9 billion, doubling or even tripling the on-line 
totals for the same period last year.
    About 4 million American families will buy some of their gifts on-
line for the first time this holiday season. I intend to join them, 
because on-line shopping has significant benefits--not just for 
consumers and large established retailers. On-line commerce also opens a 
world of opportunity for local artisans and small entrepreneurs.
    As with shopping in stores, when consumers shop on the Internet, 
they must take basic precautions to ensure that what they see is what 
they get. To help familiarize on-line consumers with these precautions, 
the Federal Trade Commission has prepared a useful check list. You can 
find the complete checklist at www.consumer.gov.
    But today I'd like to emphasize at least some of the essentials. 
First, in the on-line world, you must pay close attention to details. 
Carefully check for shipping and delivery dates, for extra fees, 
warranties, return policies, and phone numbers to call if you run into a 
problem. Second, always buy with a credit card. With credit cards you 
are protected by Federal law against unauthorized charges. Third, guard 
your privacy at all times. Look for the unbroken key or padlock symbols 
on the order page to ensure that your credit card information will be 
transmitted securely. Don't share passwords with anyone and be sure to 
read the merchant's privacy policy to see what information is being 
collected about you and how it will be used.
    I'm pleased to announce that, thanks to the leadership of Vice 
President Gore, many leading companies and organizations, including the 
Better Business Bureau's OnLine, American Express, MasterCard, Dell, Get 
Netwise, eBay, America OnLine, and Amazon.com--all are joining with us 
to protect and educate consumers this holiday season. Many are 
distributing guides to help people shop on-line safely and wisely. Some 
are offering financial guarantees that go above and beyond Federal law. 
If we want Internet commerce to continue to grow, we all must work 
together to make sure that shopping on-line is just as safe as shopping 
in a mall.
    I'd like to close today by asking all of you to think not only about 
using the Internet to buy gifts for friends and family but also to give 
more lasting gifts to our community and our future. As I discovered 
during the philanthropy conference we held at the White House last 
month, charitable websites, like Helping.org, have made signing up to 
contribute time or money in your community as easy as checking on the 
weather. So this

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holiday season, let's use every avenue possible, including the Internet, 
to give something back to our communities.
    Enjoy the rest of your Thanksgiving weekend, and thanks for 
listening.

Note: The address was recorded at 6:17 p.m. on November 26 at Camp 
David, MD, for broadcast at 10:06 a.m. on November 27. The transcript 
was made available by the Office of the Press Secretary on November 26 
but was embargoed for release until the broadcast.