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DATE=7/28/1999 TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT TITLE=U.S. - COMPUTERS (L-ONLY) NUMBER=2-252268 BYLINE=DEBORAH TATE DATELINE=WHITE HOUSE CONTENT= VOICED AT: INTRO: The Clinton administration is developing a government-wide plan to protect the nation's computer networks from intruders - including hostile governments that may try to attack U.S. cybersystems in an effort to harm government operations or the country's economy. Correspondent Deborah Tate reports from the White House. TEXT: Under the proposal, an elaborate system of electronic monitors will be set up to alert law enforcement officials of any suspicious activity on federal computer systems. But the plan - which is to be implemented by May 2003 - is raising concerns among civil liberties groups. They argue the proposal could lead to unprecedented electronic surveillance, especially in light of the increasingly widespread use of computers by the government in nearly all aspects of citizens' lives. U.S. National Security Advisor Sandy Berger expressed the administration's desire to protect privacy rights while at the same time defending the proposal. /// Berger Actuality /// I think if somebody attacks the I.R.S. (Internal Revenue Service) and gets into my tax file, that is a violation of my privacy, and I think that if we have a system that makes that less likely, that is a protection of my privacy. So this is not a black-and-white issue here. Obviously we are very concerned about protecting privacy rights, but there is also a privacy right in not having hostile entities attack systems. We are not only talking about 17-year-old kids in their basements, we are talking about governments that we know that are developing systems to get access to our computer systems, and we know that in the past there have been intrusions into sensitive systems. /// End Act /// Mr. Berger did not say which agencies experienced the security breaches. But there were intrusions into computer systems reported recently at the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which produces such information as the consumer price index that can affect the performance of the stock market. The plan to protect the nation's computer networks is part of the Clinton administration's anti-terrorism program. In May of last year, President Clinton signed a directive requiring the Executive Branch to assess the security of the federal government's computer systems. In a cover letter, Mr. Clinton wrote - in his words - an attack on the computers of any one of the key U.S. economic sectors or governmental agencies could have catastrophic effects. (signed) NEB/DAT/TVM/gm 28-Jul-1999 17:50 PM LOC (28-Jul-1999 2150 UTC) NNNN Source: Voice of America .