Dear Jack:

Thank you for contacting me.  I appreciate hearing from you about this important issue.

As you may know, U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke and White House Cybersecurity Coordinator Howard A. Schmidt recently announced plans to establish a National Program Office within the Department of Commerce to coordinate federal activities needed to implement the National Strategy for Trusted Identities in Cyberspace (NSTIC).  The NSTIC is an initiative to find new and effective ways to protect the identities of Internet users and to enhance privacy protections for common online activities and transactions.

The National Program Office would operate as the federal coordinator with other agencies, such as the Department of Homeland Security and the General Services Administration to implement the NSTIC.  Online service providers that opt in to the system would follow a set of guidelines to establish the security and privacy infrastructure.

A number of Coloradans have raised concerns about the uses of this system once it has been established.  The advent of the Internet has led to countless cultural and economic benefits. However, the Internet has also led to a loss of privacy unprecedented in our history. This change has been unsettling for millions of Americans, and millions more have found themselves to be the victims of identity theft.  At this point, the Department of Commerce and the White House have only provided general details about the implementation of the program.  The federal efforts will be led by the Department of Commerce, but actual implementation will be led by the private sector, specifically those service providers that choose to opt in to the program.

I certainly understand the concerns you have about this program.  I believe privacy is, and should always remain, a protected individual right in this country.  Rest assured that I will closely monitor the progress of this program as the Department of Commerce moves forward.

I value the input of fellow Coloradans in considering the wide variety of important issues and legislative initiatives that come before the Senate.  I hope you will continue to inform me of your thoughts and concerns.

For more information about my priorities as a U.S. Senator, I invite you to visit my website at http://bennet.senate.gov/.  Again, thank you for contacting me.

Sincerely,

Michael Bennet

United States Senator

My Response:

Dear Senator Bennet,

Thank you for your response to my earlier inquiry. While the NSTIC initiative may be important to protect our online privacy, it does not address the question I was bringing to your attention.

Why is the Department of Homeland Security seizing domain names without due process? It seems to me that these seizures are not only unconstitutional but anti-constitutional. I would appreciate your review of these activities.

Thank you,

Jack Heneghan