From: gnu (John Gilmore)
Date: Fri, 5 Mar 93 00:51:03 PST
To: Eric Hughes <hughes@soda.berkeley.edu>
Subject: Re: more ideas on anonymity
In-Reply-To: <9303031658.AA14314@soda.berkeley.edu>
Message-ID: <9303050850.AA08447@toad.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain


I heard today that the Federal Public Health Service has been trying
to eliminate anonymous AIDS testing, but it's unlikely to disappear,
at least in San Francisco.  (The PHS claims to want peoples'
identities so PHS can tell their sex partners that they're at risk.
Though I haven't figured out how PHS plans to find out who's having
sex with who.)

It occurred to me that truly anonymous postings to online discussions
about AIDS would allow people who have AIDS to discuss the changes it
puts them through, without letting them be discriminated against by
having their identities revealed.

A video I saw about AIDS testing mentioned that if you get a positive
result, you should be careful about who you tell, because there are
still many unenlightened employers, landlords, insurance companies, etc.

	John