From: Brad Dolan <bdolan@well.sf.ca.us>
Date: Thu, 30 Jun 94 17:26:25 PDT
To: cypherpunks@toad.com
Subject: Detweiler clone at WSJ
Message-ID: <199406301603.JAA07502@well.sf.ca.us>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain



The drumbeat against all those anonymous pedophiles continues....

_Wall Street Journal_, 6/30/94

PERSONAL TECHNOLOGY by Walter S. Mossberg
"Keeping Your Kids Away From Creeps As They Play Online"

(...Talk about striking up electronic friendships online ...)

But there's a dark side to this exciting phenomenon, one 
that's too rarely understood by computer novices.  Because they
offer instant access to others, and considerable anonymity to
participants, the services make it possible for people - 
especially computer-literate kids - to find themselves in 
unpleasant, sexually explicit social situations (Sex-ed sessions 
led by Joycelyn Elders?)

The online services all have rules banning bad conduct and,
fearing possible government-imposed restrictions, have stepped 
up the policing of online abuse. But parents could do more to
protect kids from these disturbing situations.  And I've gradually
come to adopt the view, which will be controversial among many online
users (!), that the use of nicknames and other forms of anonymity
must be eliminated or severly curbed to force people online into
at least as much accountability for their words and actions as 
exists in real social encounters.

(.. More talk about how your kid might [gasp!] download a "hardcore
pornographic photo" [This guy should see the stuff on the newstands
in Amsterdam!]...)

Beyond that, I think it's time now for the services to jettison the
long tradition of allowing members to hide behind "handles" or 
nicknames.  In general people should conduct themselves online
under their real names, or not at all.  IN THE SAME VEIN, I THINK THE
SERVICES SHOULD DELAY GRANTING NEW MEMBERS ACCESS FOR 24 OR 48 HOURS
...WHILE THEY VERIFY THAT THE APPLICANTS ARE REALLY WHO THEY SAY THEY
ARE ... (emphasis mine). 

(And some folks thought that Brady-style fascism would only be applied
to "gun-nuts"!  Won't be long before you have to have a license to 
drive on the information superhighway.)

(Article continues with more of same.  Lambasts AOL. Talks about "the 
most dangerous forms of communication," etc.)


-------------------------------------------------------------------
I didn't comment on NSA threatening Bidzos because dog bites man is
not news. If you annoy the Nazis in power and they can get away 
with it they will kill you.  

BTW: The current _New Republic_ contains a story about an Oxford 
student being threatened by the Secret Service over a much more 
trivial matter.