DATE=2/11/2000
TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT
TITLE=CLINTON - INTERNET SECURITY (L)
NUMBER=2-259069
BYLINE=DEBORAH TATE
DATELINE=WHITE HOUSE
CONTENT=
VOICED AT:


INTRO:   President Clinton will meet with leaders of the 
high-tech industry next week to discuss enhancing Internet 
security following this week's attacks on major web sites.  
Correspondent Deborah Tate reports from the White House. 

Text:  Mr. Clinton will convene the White House meeting 
Tuesday, bringing together internet executives and key 
members of his administration - including National Security 
Adviser Sandy Berger, Attorney General Janet Reno and 
Commerce Secretary William Daley.

White House spokesman Joe Lockhart says the session will 
consider both short-term and long-term efforts to improve 
Internet security.

The meeting comes in response to a series of attacks this 
week on some of the largest and most popular sites on the 
web - including Yahoo, the largest independent web site, 
the retailer Buy-dot-com, and the news site CNN-dot-com.   
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is probing the matter.

In an appearance before reporters Friday, Mr. Clinton said 
he is not surprised by the attacks given that so much 
commerce and other activity takes place on the Web.

            /// CLINTON ACTUALITY ///

      This greater openness and speed of the system, and 
      the importance of it, have necessarily made for 
      greater vulnerability for people who are just 
      mischievous and people who have far darker motives.  
      This is no different from any other development in 
      human history.   If you go back from the beginning of 
      time, where things of value are stored, people with 
      bad motives will try to get to those things of value.  
      
            /// END ACT ///

The President - whose 2001 budget contains a two billion 
dollar plan to protect the Internet from so-called cyber-
hackers - says he does not believe there will be what he 
calls `an instantaneous solution' to the problem, but 
rather a general improvement in Internet security over 
time.

            /// CLINTON ACTUALITY ///

      This will be an ongoing effort to try to make sure we 
      get all the benefits of the Internet, all the 
      benefits of the computer revolution, but we develop 
      better defenses and better defenders, and I believe 
      we will do that. 

            /// END ACT ///

White House spokesman Lockhart says he believes Congress 
will back the administration's efforts, although members of 
the Republican majority have been known to oppose greater 
government oversight of the Web in favor of more self-
policing among Internet companies.

In a series of interviews with major newspapers published 
Friday, Mr. Clinton says he has worked hard to assure that 
the Internet is not unduly burdened by government 
regulation or taxation.  But he says it is necessary for an 
open system like the Web to have safeguards against 
intrusion.  (Signed)

NEB/DAT/LTD/JO



11-Feb-2000 15:24 PM EDT (11-Feb-2000 2024 UTC)
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Source: Voice of America
.