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Shari Steele January 4, 2000 Secretary Re: Advisory Committee on Online Access and Security-Nomination. P004807. Sent via email to advisorycommittee@ftc.gov Dear Secretary, I would like to submit my nomination to serve on the Federal Trade Commission Advisory Committee on Online Access and Security. I am Director of Legal Services for the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF). EFF is a privately funded, nonprofit organization concerned with the civil liberties, technical and social issues raised by the application of new computing and telecommunications technologies. EFF was founded in 1990 to work in that area where technology and policy converge. Over the past decade, EFF has participated in precedent-setting cases, has worked to ensure that any legislation passed or rules promulgated protect individuals' rights, and has been on the forefront of public debate over the equitable use and growth of technology. For the past eight years, I have led EFF's legal services department. EFF has been very concerned with the privacy implications of electronic commerce and the collection of personal information without consumer informed consent. I have participated in several FTC meetings, sharing the viewpoint of EFF and the civil liberties community. I would like to continue to share my views as part of the Advisory Commitee. As you can see from my attached bio, I am very qualified to represent the civil liberties community as the Advisory Committee considers the parameters of reasonable access to personal information and adequate security to protect such information. I would consider it an honor to be chosen to serve on the Advisory Committee. Please contact me at 301.283.2773, ssteele@eff.org, or the address above if I can supply you with any additional information. Thank you in advance for your consideration. Sincerely, Shari Steele Bio for Shari Steele Shari Steele is Director of Legal Services for the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF). EFF is the premier civil liberties organization of the online computer world. Ms. Steele advises individuals and attorneys on issues such as freedom of speech on the Internet and privacy of electronic mail. Ms. Steele has written amicus briefs and participated on the legal teams on several precedent-setting cases for electronic communications, including ACLU v. Reno (the case now pending before the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals challenging the Child Online Protection Act), and Bernstein v. Department of Justice, (where the export control laws on encryption were found to be unconstitutional). Ms. Steele has spoken about civil liberties law in newly emerging technologies on the CBS Evening News with Dan Rather, C-SPAN's Washington Journal, The Today Show, CNN, the BBC, and National Public Radio's Morning Edition, All Things Considered and the Diane Rhems Show. Ms. Steele has been asked to advise the NTIA on hate crimes in telecommunications, the U.S. Sentencing Commission on sentencing guidelines for the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act and the No Electronic Theft Act, and the National Research Council on U.S. encryption policy. Ms. Steele has spoken about Internet law as part of the Smithsonian Institution's lecture series on the Internet, the ABA's TechWorld Conference, the National Law Journal's annual Computer Law Conference, and the National Forum for Women Corporate Counsel. Ms. Steele has also been an invited speaker at dozens of universities and computer groups. Ms. Steele received her law degree in 1989 from Widener University School of Law. She later served as a teaching fellow at Georgetown University Law Center, where she earned an LL.M. degree in Advocacy. Ms. Steele also holds a Master of Science degree in Instructional Media from West Chester University. Shari Steele |