From: Stanton McCandlish <anton@hydra.unm.edu>
Date: Tue, 4 May 93 00:51:50 PDT
To: cypherpunks@toad.com
Subject: Re: PGP
In-Reply-To: <9305031702.AA19444@snark.shearson.com>
Message-ID: <9305040751.AA21712@hydra.unm.edu>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain


Perry E. Metzger opines:
 
> HARUP16@delphi.com says:
> > 	I think what Matt was trying to get at is that privacy should be free
> > The day that I feel the need to have to pay $100 to ensure that my business
> > is nobody's business but my own is the day I leave this country for a nice
> > outlet free desert island.
 
> Nothing is free. Food isn't free. Clothing isn't free. Places to live
> aren't free. Computers to run crypto sofware are not free. There is no
> reason on earth that privacy should be free.

Sorry to get on your case yet again, Perry, but I just cannot accept that,
and I don't think anyone else here can either.  Privacy should be free, just
like freedom should be free, and the right to say what you want should be
free.  This is not to say well made tools for ENSURING these rights should 
be free.  A radio broadcasting station will sure help you exercise your
speech rights, but you aren't likely to get one for christmas.  Likewise,
crypto software should not be expected to be free, unless, as in the case
of PGP, the author makes it free of their own accord.  You are very right
that
> we should not forget that they were in no way obligated to be
> as nice as they were.

While this is true, I would urge people to keep in mind that while we can 
be expected to pay for tools to help us maintain our rights, no one can
charge us a fee for those rights themselves.  Privacy is free, it is our
birthright.
-- 
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Stanton McCandlish,  SysOp:  Noise in the Void Data Center BBS
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