November 7, 2000

Contact: Tinabeth Burton, tburton@itaa.org, +1-703-284-5305

November 6, 2000: Berlin, Germany - Technology leaders from around the globe today urged world leaders to resist using outmoded regulatory and legal models to control the Internet, advocating instead that they weigh technology and industry solutions to ensure privacy and security on the net.

This statement, from members of The Global Internet Project (GIP), an international group of senior Internet executives from leading telecommunications, hardware, software, financial services, and content companies, was released today at the group's Berlin conference. Entitled Security, Privacy, and Reliability of the Next Generation Internet, The statement examines the key challenges presented by the Next Generation Internet (NGI) -- such as authentication, privacy, security, and reliability. The Berlin workshop, co-hosted by Deutsche Bank AG and Deutsche Telekom AG, runs through November 7.

"The members of the Global Internet Project believe that we can and must anticipate the policy problems that could arise when the Internet becomes as ubiquitous and essential as electricity," said John Patrick, IBM's Vice President for Internet Technology, and chairman of the GIP. "The Next Generation Internet is already under construction. The goal of this workshop is to make sure that privacy, security, and reliability are built in --so that the NGI doesn't have to be retrofitted -- or regulated -- later."

The GIP paper also encourages the private sector to find global non-regulatory solutions that will be flexible enough to keep pace with changes in technology and effective enough to protect Internet users.

"The banking business is fundamentally based on trust," said GIP principal member Hermann-Josef Lamberti, Member of the Board of Deutsche Bank AG. "Our customers rely on us to provide them with privacy and security."

"We believe that the industry needs to establish key standards which will foster the security and reliability required for the growth of the Next Generation Internet," said GIP principal member Paul Gudonis, Chairman and CEO of GENUiTY. "Easy to use network security devices such as firewalls and Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) are just some of the tools available that will help ensure a safe and reliable experience for Internet users," Gudonis added.

During its bi-annual business meeting held at Deutsche Telekom AG in Berlin, the GIP also issued a statement on the importance of the work of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN). GIP re-affirmed its strong support for ICANN and applauded its recent initiatives, including the first global election of At Large Board members.

"In order to ensure the long term stability of the domain name system, it is important that ICANN carry out its mandate to manage the technical coordination of domain names, IP addresses, and the assignment of protocol parameters and the management of the root server," said Raimund Trierscheid, Vice President, Deutsche Telekom AG and GIP principal member. "The GIP supports the continued transition of this system from government to non-government control and ICANN has taken significant steps forward in achieving that."

In ongoing efforts to consult with leading government policy makers from around the globe on Internet issues, GIP members also met earlier today with German Parliamentary State Secretary for the Ministry of Economics and Technology, Siegmar Mosdorf. Mr. Mosdorf addressed the group and discussed key New Economy issues at a luncheon, which was also held at Deutsche Telekom AG in Berlin.

To read the primer, Security, Privacy, and Reliability of the Next Generation Internet, or the GIP Statement on ICANN, please visit the GIP web site: www.witsa.org/gip.

The Global Internet Project (GIP) is an international group of senior executives committed to fostering the continued rapid growth of the Internet worldwide. GIP participants are well-known leaders in the Internet Revolution and represent companies based in Australia, East and South Asia, Europe, and North America. Dr. James Clark, former chairman of Netscape Communications Corporation, founded the group. John Patrick, Vice President for Internet Technology at IBM, is the current chairman of the GIP. For more information on the group, please visit the GIP Web site at http://www.witsa.org/gip or contact GIP Executive Director Allen Miller at: amiller@itaa.org.