From: holland@CS.ColoState.EDU (douglas craig holland)
Date: Wed, 20 Oct 93 12:22:37 PDT
To: mech@eff.org (Stanton McCandlish)
Subject: Re: crypto anarchy
In-Reply-To: <199310201547.AA06620@eff.org>
Message-ID: <9310201917.AA20166@beethoven>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text


> 
> Yes, this is so.  The problem however is not just that PGP is difficult. 
> The entire UseNet/Internet experience is too difficult for the average
> person, who probably doesn't even know which end of a diskette to insert
> first.  The media conglomerates will bring a filtered and [surprise!]
> TV-like version of the net to households and offices, that will be simple
> and easy, point and shoot.  Useless, censored, commercialized to the
> point of saturation.  I don't see any room for privacy in a network
> like that.  *That's* what we're up against.
> 
The candy-like "family oriented" overcommercialized network is already
here, known as Prodigy.  Those guys will bounce your email if you say
"I have a bridge in Brooklyn for sale" (implying gullibility) for posting
commercially.  My subscription to those losers didn't last two months.
Last that I heard, Prodigy was losing money, hope they go broke.

> Sure, no one can afford to write cypherpunks code full time, but what can
> be done should be done, and hopefully people will collaborate more.  Every
> tool that makes it easier to integrate is a step in the right direction. 
> The various scripts and utils that people have come up with for PGP use
> on "the" net, GenMSG for Fido mail, the menu/shell programs, it's all a
> step in the right direction.
> 
Agreed.  So far as I know, there are a few commercial services that don't
censor their customers and aren't afraid to let them have full access to
the Internet, such as the WELL and Colorado Supernet.

Doug

|  Doug Holland                       | Proud member of:
|  holland@beethoven.cs.colostate.edu | Mathematicians Against Drunk Deriving
|  Finger for PGP 2.2 key             |