State of the Net Conference 01/14/09

About the Conference | Agenda | Previous 2010 Conference

The Second Annual Judith Krug Memorial Intellectual Freedom Panel

"Can the U.S. Continue to Support a Free Global Internet in the Age of WikiLeaks, Cyberwar and Rampant Copyright Piracy?"

The Congressional Internet Caucus Advisory Committee hosts an annual panel at the State of the Net Conference on the general topic of "Intellectual Freedom" in honor of the late Judith F. Krug, the long-time director of the American Library Association's (ALA) Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF) and executive director of the Freedom to Read Foundation. We are pleased, and believe that Judith would be proud, that this year's topic will debate the question, "Can the U.S. Continue to Support a Free Global Internet in the Age of WikiLeaks, Cyberwar and Rampant Copyright Piracy?" The panel, featuring human rights activist Rebecca MacKinnon and law enforcement expert Stewart Baker will be held on Tuesday, January 18, 2011 at the Hyatt Regency on Capitol Hill.

These "Judith Krug Memorial Intellectual Freedom" panels will explore topics that Judith cared passionately about and worked tirelessly to address. Last year's panel, "Global Free Expression: Can The Internet Reign or Get Reined In?," was the inaugural Judith Krug Memorial Panel.

About Judith Krug

Judith Krug was a driving force in the creation of the Congressional Internet Caucus Advisory Committee and a passionate supporter of its mission until her untimely passing on April 11, 2009. As the longtime director of the American Library Association's Office for Intellectual Freedom and executive director of the Freedom to Read Foundation, she dedicated her work to fighting censorship. In 1982 she founded Banned Books Week, an annual celebration of literary freedom. Under her leadership, the Freedom to Read Foundation raised money to further First Amendment court cases - some of which rose to the United States Supreme Court and resulted in landmark rights to free expression.

Judith was a compassionate leader and received many awards for her work, including the William J. Brennan, Jr. award from the Thomas Jefferson Center for the Protection of Free Expression for her "remarkable commitment to the marriage of open books and open minds," as well as an honorary doctorate from University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign.

We are extremely grateful to Judith for facilitating our right to freely access information in our libraries and online. It is because of her unwavering defense of the first amendment that we honor her with the Judith Krug Memorial Intellectual Freedom Panel.

About The 2011 Panel

Can the U.S. Continue to Support a Free Global Internet in the Age of Wikileaks, Cyberwar and Rampant Copyright Piracy?
Online crimes committed beyond our borders can significantly impact our domestic markets and tranquility. With seeming impunity offshore criminals attack our networks with dangerous computer malware, while others offer illegal pharmaceuticals, child abuse images, and pirated movies, not to mention caches of stolen documents that threaten our security and diplomatic relations. The effort to fight these crimes is forcing the U.S. to confront fundamental questions about the future of the Internet. Among them are:
--What legal, diplomatic, and architectural changes can be made to stem the tide of online crime that plagues U.S. citizens, government, and businesses?
--And if we make those changes, what price will we pay in terms of human rights, free expression, and the ability of American companies to do business here and abroad?
- Stewart Baker, Partner, Steptoe & Johnson [bio]
- David Israelite, President & CEO, National Music Publishers' Association [bio]
- Mark MacCarthy (moderator), Professor, Georgetown University [bio]
- Rebecca MacKinnon, Sr. Fellow, New America Foundation [bio]
- Dr. Milton Mueller, Professor, Syracuse University [bio]

In Memoriam: