Media Advisory Internet Society --Prague, 17 June 1994. The Internet Society Board of Trustees at its meeting this week in Prague, started proceedings responsive to public concerns about the behavior and practices of small numbers of Internet end users and service providers. Examples of such incidents range from propagating massive numbers of unsolicited and unwanted Email messages across the network, to marketing tactics of service providers that fail to reveal the actual nature and costs of services rendered. Also involved are guidelines for addess and name registration activities of scores of national Internet Network Information Centers around the world. The announcement of this action was made to nearly 2000 attendees from 110 countries at the Society's International Networking Conference (INET'94) being held in Prague in conjunction with the Joint European Network Conference. The Board in taking this action noted that incidents harmful to the Internet and its users have occurred in the past, and that some ethical guidelines were adopted several years ago by the Society's Internet Architecture Board (IAB). The intent is to develop a current set of guidelines through open proceedings involving the IAB as the body which oversees the architecture of the Internet and adopts its standards, together with the Society's Advisory Council of the 85 companies, foundations, and government agencies which constitute its organizational members, and the Internet community at large. It is important that there be a common widespread consensus regarding what conduct is unacceptable in using the Internet and in providing services. The Chair of the IAB is the noted research director, Dr. Christian Huitema at INRIA in Sophia Antipolis, France . The Chair of the Advisory Committee is MCI network engineering director Michael E. Conn <0004387451@mcimail.com>. Subsequent Media Advisories will provide further information regarding the specific activities and processes of these bodies related to this proceeding. For further information, contact: Tony Rutkowski, Executive Director, Internet Society. The Society is the global international organization for the Internet, its technologies, and applications. 12020 Sunrise Valley Dr. suite 270 Reston VA 22091 USA tel: +1 703 648 9888 fax: +1 703 648 9887 --------------------------------------------------------- Internet Society Resolution No. 94-____ Since the internet will only function effectively in the spirit of cooperation, the Board of Trustees: 1. Recognizes the need for an Internet Code of Ethics and the importance of educating the Internet community about it. 2. Recommends that the Internet Architecture Board (IAB) and the Advisory Council be asked to propose an appropriate code of ethics for consideration by the Board of Trustees no later than its next regular Board meeting (December 1994). ---------------------------------------------------------