Science and technology may affect the balance between First Amendment rights and government interests by changing power relationships between individuals and between individuals and the state. Technology will give rise to new ways of communicating which amplify the ways in which individuals and organizations express themselves. New technologies, such as electronic publishing, may not fit easily into old models of regulation, and First Amendment distinctions between the rights of print publishers, broadcasters, and common carriers will become increasingly difficult to justify. The open communication of scientific information--data, hypotheses, conclusions, explanatory theories, and technological know-how--is a special kind of speech or publication. There is no consensus on the question of whether scientific communication enjoys the full protection provided by the First Amendment. It is well established that scientific communication can be limited when necessary to protect national security. However, as science and technology become ever more important to our economy and military strength, the delicate balance between individual rights and the national interest becomes both more important and more difficult to maintain. In some fields, basic research results can have direct and immediate implications for technological development, and a balance between the right of expression and the interests of the state in preserving security is very difficult to achieve. There are likely to be many situations in the future in which the government will assert compelling reasons for limiting basic scientific communication. The appendix lists the participants in two workshops which contributed to this background paper together with additional contributors and reviewers. Bibliographical references are provided in footnotes throughout the report. (EW)