Political Quotes

“Concern over privacy is reaching an all time high. In 1978, 64 percent of Americans reported that they were "very concerned" or "somewhat concerned" about threats to their personal privacy. By 1998, this number had skyrocketed. According to the Center for Social and Legal Research, 88 percent of Americans reported being "very" or "somewhat concerned" about threats to their personal privacy. We in Congress must take this concern seriously, and in this regard I look forward to examining the privacy issues confronting us in hearings before the Senate Judiciary Committee. Good privacy policies make good business policies. New technologies bring with them new opportunities, both for the businesses that develop and market them, and for consumers. It does not do anyone any good for consumers to hesitate to use any particular technology because they have concerns over privacy. That is why I believe that good privacy policies make good business policies. Protecting privacy plays an important role in the exercise of First Amendment rights. Ensuring that we have adequate privacy laws has a more significant and important role in our democracy than just fostering hi-tech businesses, however. We also must defend our on-line free speech rights from heavy-handed content regulation. That was my purpose in voting against the unconstitutional Communications Decency Act that became law in 1996.”