The president's remarks, made while chatting informally among Silicon Valley leaders here, were stronger than anything he had said minutes earlier while formally addressing the Aspen Institute's Forum on Communication and Society. This is a big deal . . .
Freedom requires a certain space of privacy.
After the resulting publicity prompted a minor uproar, the company said Thursday that it would delay implementing the plan until there was an agreed-upon Web privacy standard. Clinton also tackled two other currently prominent Internet issues. As for the digital divide between those with computers and those who can't afford them in distressed inner cities, rural areas and Native American reservations, he championed the establishment of technology learning centers as well as tax incentives for companies that donate computers. Silicon Valley executives, who generally favor the least government regulation possible, applauded Clinton's remarks. He acknowledged that this is a fast-changing, dynamic environment, and said the best thing the government can do is create the conditions that will let it grow and thrive.