E2K Presidential Profile

Albert Gore - Democrat

While his claim to have 'invented the Internet' may be overdrawn, this candidate can nevertheless lay claim to some pretty deep Internet roots.

by Patricia Fusco ISP-Planet Managing Editor [December 21, 1999]

Al Gore is Vice President of the United States and has served in that capacity since January, 1993.

For the record, Gore was born on March 31, 1948, in Carthage, Tennessee; this makes him an Aries.

Gore graduated from Harvard University with honors in 1969. Appropriately, he received a Bachelor of Arts Degree with major in Government. He also attended Vanderbilt University Divinity School and Vanderbilt Law School.

Gore served in the U.S. Army in Vietnam from 1969 to 1971 and upon discharge, worked as a newspaper reporter for The Tennessean. Gore was elected to Congress representing Tennessee in 1976. He was reelected three times, serving in the US House of Representatives until 1985. That's when Gore was promoted to the US Senate, where he represented "The Volunteer State" until 1993.

On a more personal note, Gore is married to the former Mary Elizabeth "Tipper" Aitcheson, and they have four children; Kristin, Karenna, Sarah, and Albert III. As you can see, he is not the father of the Internet. Gore is however, usually credited with originating the Internet term "information superhighway," according to his press secretary. If it is important to you, Gore is a Baptist, and he claims to posses a solid jump shot as an avid basketball enthusiast.

Knows the territory
Vice President Gore also retains a thorough understanding of the Internet and is a recognized leader on technology issues. While he was in Congress he sat on science and technology committees, working on legislation and financing for the precursor to the Internet, the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPANET).

It is no surprise that Gore continues advocating the Internet, as he appears to grasp that people may utilize communication technologies to unleash new opportunities through e-commerce initiatives. It is equally unsurprising that he utilizes his online expertise to guide the current Administration's Internet policies.

For example, Vice President Gore unveiled Access America for Seniors in February 1998. The Web site provides a wide range of services to older Americans. Gore cited the service as an example of his vision of one-stop Internet access to government services.

"This is an excellent example of our efforts to reinvent government to provide services that the American people need and care about," Gore said. "Through this new web site, seniors can change their address with the Post Office, compare nursing homes, request Social Security statements, get IRS tax forms, and find a variety of other government information."

Protection advocate
More recently, Gore released a September Department of Justice report that concluded stronger federal and state laws are needed to protect Americans from online stalking. Gore said cyberstalking is a serious problem that demands the Administration's attention.

"As more and more Americans are going online -- particularly our children -- it is critical that they are protected from online stalking. Cyberspace should be a place for learning and exploration not a place for fear," Gore said. "Cyberstalking is a very serious new problem confronting us in the information age. This report demonstrates the need for stronger federal and state laws to combat the problem."

According to the DOJ report, less than one third of the states have anti-stalking laws that explicitly cover stalking via the Internet, e-mail, pagers, or other electronic communications. While general stalking statutes in some states may cover cyberstalking, the report calls on all states to review their laws to ensure they prohibit and punish stalking via the Internet and other electronic communications.

Gore also believes that he Internet industry should create a public service Web site containing information about cyberstalking and what to do if confronted with the problem.

Gore is also supports and personally fought for the Child Online Protection Act (COPA), which requires commercial Web sites to get a parent's permission before collecting personal information. [Click here to read an analysis of COPA.]

Goto page 2: Unfettered commerce