POLITICAL WRAP

June 9, 2000
		Vice President Gore discusses Internet privacy during a speech to law enforcement officers in Whittier, California. A speech by Texas Gov. George W. Bush Analysis by Shields & Gigot

Online Special: Election 2000 Online Special: An Interview with George W. Bush Online Special: An Interview with Al Gore June 3, 2000: Shields and Gigot on the presidential campaign, the president's European trip, and Gov. George W. Bush's record on the death penalty May 26, 2000: Oliphant and Gigot political fundrasing, permanent trade relations with China. May 12, 2000: Shields & Gigot on China trade, George Bush and Rudy Guiliani May 5, 2000: Shields & Gigot on gun control and Social Security proposals April 28, 2000: Shields & Gigot on the Microsoft case, the presidential race March 7, 2000: Shields & Gigot discuss Super Tuesday results. Special Emphasis Debating the Election 2000 agenda Browse the NewsHour's coverage of politics and campaigns.	JIM LEHRER: Let's turn to presidential politics. Candidates Gore and Bush were back campaigning this week. We have snapshots from each. First, Vice President Gore speaking about Internet privacy yesterday in Whittier, California. On the stage with him were Los Angeles county deputies from community policing teams.
	Protecting the right to privacy
	AL GORE: Today I want to talk about the steps that we must take as a nation to protect the right to privacy and to make sure that our newest technology never compromises our fundamental values. Part of my tour here was of the cyber crimes division, and I talked with some of the technical specialists there who gave me a briefing on some of the practical needs of the people who are working where the rubber meets the road, how we can strengthen the hand of law enforcement to protect the privacy of families throughout our country. Protecting privacy is at the heart of the family agenda that I've been talking about for the last couple of weeks, and I've come to believe that there is a top priority. If we want to make progress for working families, we also have to build prosperity, and not jeopardize it, for without it, so many of our other hopes become impossible. Starting next week, I'm going to be talking about the things I believe we must do together to open up a new era of prosperity and progress. For example, on Tuesday I'll be making a proposal to put Medicare into a lock box that's protected against the ambitions of those in either party who might want to get into the Medicare Trust Fund and use it for other purposes. Now, as all of us know, the technology revolution is changing our lives, and often for the better. Whenever we talk about this subject, we've always got to have a sense of proportion and a sense of balance, because look at all the wonderful benefits that have come as a result of the Internet and computers and all of the associated technologies. You can buy things, everything from books and CDs to used cars and hot sauce, over the Internet. You can pay your bills. You can do your banking online. E-commerce is taking the country and soon the world by storm. But as American law enforcement knows so well, new innovations bring new challenges, and that's just the human story. Whatever new opportunities emerge, there are going to be some bad guys out there, and they're going to be the innovators also. Today, with changing technology, you can leave a trail of virtual footprints that are far too easy to follow, and somebody with bad intentions can follow those footprints and do you harm. Think about what you do on any given day. A lot of folks buy groceries with a credit card, visit the doctor's office, make a withdrawal at the bank, surf the Web, send an e-mail to a friend. At every step of the way, you may be creating a trail of personal data that can be used and abused by people you've never met in places you've never been. Even worse is when there is actually a financial incentive for someone to give away your most sensitive personal information. No one should be able to obtain or sell your Social Security number or your confidential medical or financial information. We need to make that against the law. We need to protect that information. If I'm entrusted with the presidency, I will not rest until that is the law of our land. (Applause)
	An electronic bill of rights
	AL GORE: We need an electronic bill of rights, one that recognizes that the right to privacy is a basic American right in the information age, as in any age, and in fact, it's more important now than it's been in the past, because the damage they can do by violating your personal privacy is greater now with the new ease with which they can assemble an electronic dossier and literally steal someone's identity. We have to make sure that personal medical records are always kept private. We live in a nation today where people can gain access to your most intimate medical records more easily they can find out what movies that you rent at the video store. And that's wrong. It needs to change. I've seen cases where people's prescription drug histories are freely sold to direct mail companies without their permission. Without full medical privacy, families will never have the quality care they deserve. So we need a law that says, loud and clear, all health information must be kept private, period, and we need penalties against those who would sell private medical information. We need to help these law enforcement officers with tougher laws so they can protect privacy in our lives. We need the best efforts of government and industry, law enforcement and private citizens working together to protect our families, and then together we have to send a clear message to all of our people that no matter how our technology grows and changes, our fundamental right to privacy is something that must never change. Stand with me: We'll make sure this gets done. Thank you all very much for being here. I appreciate you coming. (Applause)