From: rishab@dxm.ernet.in
Date: Fri, 30 Dec 94 12:16:35 PST
To: cypherpunks@toad.com
Subject: Re: Morality masks technical ignorance
Message-ID: <gate.L006Xc1w165w@dxm.ernet.in>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain


arromdee@blaze.cs.jhu.edu (Ken Arromdee):
> >Rishab Aiyer Ghosh:
> >As it so happens, hardly anyone here knew about Norton Encrypt so we got
> >embroiled in this argument. If we were to adopt a consistently (and solely)
> >moral stance, we would accept Detweiler's position that remailers are bad
> >and should be banned because they can be easily misused.
> 
> There is a difference between believing that something is wrong (a moral
> stance), and believing that force should be used to stop it (a ban).  A

"If it weren't for nitpickers, we'd all be knee-deep in nits."

OK, what I meant of course was that we could adopt the _moral stance_ that 
remailer misusers (like misbehaving boyfriends) are reprehensible, and that 
therefore we should not discuss making remailers untraceable (or breaking
Norton Encrypt) lest we inadvertantly help the Forces of Evil.

OTOH knowledge about anonymous remailers (and the fallibility of Norton 
Encrypt) is _good_ for privacy - as I said, the latter was not discussed due
to apparent technical ignorance.


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