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Sign-on Letter to IETF Re: Internet Cookies

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Info-Policy-Notes - A newsletter available from listproc en tap.org
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INFORMATION POLICY NOTES
April 3, 1997

       EPIC (http://www.epic.org), the Center for Media Education 
       (http://tap.epn.org/cme/) and the Consumer Project on
       Technology (http://www.cptech.org) seek co-signatures on letter to
       Internet Engineering Task Force in support of technical standard to
       Protect Privacy and Limit Misuse of so called "Cookies."

       The issue concerns technologies used by companies to
       surreptitiously collecting personal data while you 
       (or your children) are browsing the Internet

       Replies needed by April 5, 1997

Summary

	The Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC), the Center for
Media Education (CME), and the Consumer Project on Technology (CPT) are
urging organizations concerned about privacy on the Internet to sign the
following letter to the Internet Engineering Task Force. The letter urges
the IETF to support a proposal already under consideration that will
control the misuse of cookies and give Internet users better control over
the collection and use of personal information.  The reason that we are
asking the Internet community to endorse the IETF proposal is because some
online advertisers have recently started lobbying against the proposal.

	The IETF is meeting on April 7 in Memphis. You must send your
response by April 5.

	Please send your endorsement to:
        James Love, at:   love en tap.org

We will need the following data:

Name:                         ___________________________
title (optional)              ___________________________
Affiliation (optional)        ___________________________
Address (postal or Internet)  ___________________________
Telephone: (for verification) ___________________________


Background Information

The Internet Engineering Task Force
	http://www.ietf.org/

IETF Proposal - RFC 2109
	http://www.ds.internic.net/rfc/rfc2109.txt

"DoubleClick Tries to Force Hand Into Cookie Jar," Wired News, March 17, 1997
	http://www.wired.com/news/topframe/2929.html

"Browser Users to Watch Cookies" C|NET, MARCH 13, 1997
	http://www.news.com/News/Item/0,4,8770,00.html

"Persistent Client State HTTP Cookies," Netscape
	http://home.netscape.com/newsref/std/cookie_spec.html

"That's the Way the Cookie Crumbles," HotWired
	http://www.webmonkey.com/webmonkey/geektalk/96/45/index3a.html

"It Ain't All Cookies and Cream," Hot Wired
	http://www.webmonkey.com/webmonkey/geektalk/96/53/index4a.html

"PGP Cookie.Cutter," Pretty Good Privacy, Inc.
	http://www.pgp.com/products/PGPcookie.cgi


             The letter follows:
 ----------------------------------------------------------------------

To:	Internet Engineering Task Force

Re:     RFC 2109


	We write to express support for RFC 2109, the proposal for an HTTP
State Management Mechanism, to address privacy concerns associated with
"cookies." The proposal will allow users to exercise greater control over
the creation and collection of personal information resulting from
transactions between web clients and web servers.

	The proposal was published by the IETF on February 18 and is
already in use on the Web. Netscape has indicated that Navigator 4.0 will
incorporate part of the specification.

	We believe that "transparency" -- the ability of users to see and
exercise control over the disclosure of personally identifiable information
--  is a critical guidelines for the development of sensible privacy
practices on the Internet. The alternative would be the surreptitious
collection of data without the ability to exercise any control.

	We support adoption of RFC 2109. We believe it is important step
forward in the protection of privacy on the Internet


	Sincerely,


cc:	Mr. Bill Gates, President, Microsoft
	Mr. Jim Barksdale, President, Netscape
	Mr. Nathan Mhyrvold, Chief Technical Officer, Microsoft
	Mr. Marc Andressen, Chief Technical Officer, Netscape

	Mr. Ira Magaziner, the White House
	Commissioner Christine Varney, Federal Trade Commission


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