From: tcmay@netcom.com (Timothy C. May)
Date: Fri, 26 Feb 93 16:59:15 PST
To: cypherpunks@toad.com
Subject: What We Need to Censor
Message-ID: <9302270057.AA04000@netcom.netcom.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain


I, too, am disturbed and worried by the abuses and politically incorrect
postings being sent through anonymous remailers, so I support the calls by
some on this list for censorship of various "bad" postings. 

Topics for banning:

- hatred, such as the hatred some have for particular operating systems
(unless the hatred is for DOS, which is justifiable, and hence acceptable).

- advocacy of violence, which is why postings about Rambo movies and
various porno movies (violence against women, don't you know?) need to be
blocked by remailers. "Women Against Pornography" will be happy to instruct
us on what media materials are acceptable and what are not. Jesse Helms,
who is working closely with Andrea Dworkin and other feminists, will be
happy to provide a list of banned topics.

- this ban on advocating violence will also of course cover discussions of
the Mideast, Bosnia, and the student uprisings in China several years ago
(there was a lot of advocacy of violence then--can't have a repeat of
that!). Let's all chant: "Hey Ho, Hi Ho, "rec.guns" has got to go."

- ethnic slurs and advocacy of racial superiority (unless it involves the
heartfelt calls for action by our oppressed African-American brothers and
sisters, who have every right to call us honkies and advocate burning down
our cities--we just can't tolerate those who call themselves
"Aryan-Americans").

- advocacy of illegal acts, including nearly all postings to alt.drugs,
alt.sex.children, talk.bizarre, and sci.crypt.underground. Come to think of
it, perhaps those groups should just be shut down?

- anonymous phone calls apparently are possible...perhaps we can require
all phone calls go through government-cleared operators? And I have even
heard that anonymous letters--even threats, blackmail (wonder where _that_
name came from?), pornography, and extortion demands--are possible using
the U.S. mail system! How can this be? What can we do? I know, let's censor
the mail system the same way we plan to censor the Net!

So, you anarchists, let's implement these bans on what goes through remailers!

One small problem: how can we do this when everyone's a remailer? When
multiple routes exist? When sites are in many countries?

Hmmmhhh...perhaps we censors just need to shut down the nets and stop all
this loose talk.

-Tim, applying for a job as a Usenet censor



--
Timothy C. May               | Crypto Anarchy: encryption, digital money,  
tcmay@netcom.com        | anonymous networks, digital pseudonyms, zero
408-688-5409               | knowledge, reputations, information markets, 
W.A.S.T.E.: Aptos, CA       | black markets, collapse of governments.
Higher Power: 2^756839 | Public Key: MailSafe and PGP available.