RAND_MR1382

Of course, not all of the messages coming out of the Balkans were anti-NATO. Shortly
after the Kosovo conflict began, I found myself on a list called “kcc-news,” operated by
the Kosova 23 Crisis Center from the Internet domain “alb-net.com.” The messages
included Human Rights Flashes from Human Rights Watch, Action Alerts from the
Kosova Task Force, and other appeals for support in the war against the Serbs. One
message contained a flier calling for “sustained air strikes until total Serb withdrawal”
and “ground troops to STOP GENOCIDE now.” The flier included links to web pages that
documented Serb atrocities and aggression.
Even though the Yugoslav government did not prohibit Internet activity, fear of
government reprisals led some to post their messages through anonymous remailers so
they could not be identified. This allowed for a freer discourse on Internet discussion
groups and contributed to the spread of information about the situation inside Belgrade
and Kosovo. Microsoft Corp. initiated a section called “Secret Dispatches from Belgrade”
on the web site of its online magazine Slate. An anonymous correspondent gave daily
reports of both alleged Serb atrocities and civilian suffering inflicted by NATO bombs. 24
After human rights organizations expressed concern that the Yugoslav government
might be monitoring Internet activity and cracking down on anyone expressing
dissenting views, Anonymizer Inc., a provider of anonymous web browsing and email
services, launched the Kosovo Privacy Project web site. The site, which went online in
April 1999, offered surfers anonymous email and instant, anonymous access to Voice of
America, Radio Free Europe, and about 20 other web sites. According to Federal
Computer Week, Anonymizer planned to add NATO and other Western government
information sites to the Kosovo list, and to launch similar projects for human rights
situations in other parts of the world, for example, China. 25 However, the effectiveness
of the Kosovo project was never established. In August 1999, USA Today reported that
activists said the project was little noticed inside Kosovo, where traditional media
seemed unaware while the fighting knocked out Internet trunk lines in short order. 26
Internet Policy Issues. The Internet has raised numerous policy issues in such areas as
privacy, encryption, censorship, electronic commerce, international trade, intellectual
property protection, taxation, Internet governance, cybercrime, and information
warfare, all of which have a foreign policy dimension. As the issues surfaced and took
on some urgency, existing industry and public-interest groups began to address them. In
addition, both national and international advocacy groups sprung up specifically
devoted to Internet issues. They all operate web sites, where they publish policy papers
and information about issues, events, and membership. Many also send out email
newsletters and alerts.
In the area of encryption policy, for example, the major players include Americans for
Computer Privacy (ACP), the Center for Democracy and Technology (CDT), Cyber-
Rights & Cyber Liberties, the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), the Electronic