From: George A. Gleason <gg@well.sf.ca.us>
Date: Sat, 27 Feb 93 04:01:42 PST
To: mccoy@ccwf.cc.utexas.edu
Subject: Re: more ideas on anonymity
Message-ID: <199302271158.AA29653@well.sf.ca.us>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain


I agree with Jim that I may be treading a thin line on censorship, but
consider the following: someone posts a series of inflammatory statements
with the intent of stirring up trouble, attracts a following, and starts
organising them for some kind of violence.  Then one day along comes a
message to start the race war or whatever.  The next day there are a bunch
of random acts of violence.  Uh-oh...

The point is that this is a broadcast medium, though without the limitations
of conventional broadcast.  I think we may end up facing these issues one
way or another, sooner or later.  Hopefully, LE can prevent violent acts by
conventional means without resorting to limiting privacy.  

The thing is though, given the increasing cultural diversity in society and
its resulting flattening of the normal curve of acceptable behavior, we're
more and more going to be facing issues which are located in the depths of
murky gray areas and in which we may find ourselves needing to tread fine
lines, split hairs, and make all kinds of distinctions where there are no
firm certainties.  (run-on sentence alert!)  

-gg