From: "L. Todd Masco" <cactus@bb.hks.net>
Date: Mon, 21 Nov 94 11:53:55 PST
To: cypherpunks@toad.com
Subject: Anonymous methods, WRT first shots at CMU
Message-ID: <199411211958.OAA10038@bb.hks.net>
MIME-Version: 1.0
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As a fairly recent alumnus of CMU, I've been paying particular attention to
the CMU sex ban -- especially since several of my friends (and old room-
mates) are the ones who were ordered to implement the ban.

For those who don't know what I'm talking about, the Time (inc) article
is available at:

http://www.timeinc.com/time/magazine/domestic/1994/941121/941121.culture.html

This is the direction from which I expect anonymous methods of contact
to first gain wide use and, to a much lesser extent, acceptance.

Consider the economic force of sex: we can only benefit from sex being
driven underground.  Peoples' desire for sexually stimulating video
drove the VCR market into existence -- it will also drive the creation
of privacy methods.

Since governments are short on understanding of C-space, we can expect them
to attempt to regulate based purely upon their own rhetoric, ignoring the
realities of C-space.  That will leave us with computer professionals
who will be forced to implement rules they deeply disagree with -- probably
many cypherpunks will be among them.

Therefore, the Tiger-team beta testers of privacy methods are likely to
administrators at schools like CMU who aren't likely to be sympathetic
the goals of their marching orders.

This particular fracture line in our society, between the technologically
elite and the "moralist" power elite, is a god-send.  Thank your nearest
evangelical: better that this issue, considered much more frivolous than,
say, tax evasion, be used to test privacy means.

What does this mean in the short term?  Remailer operators should be aware
that this will be the vector of the soonest attack upon their independence.
--
Todd Masco     | According to the US dept of Justice Stats, 3.98% of the US
cactus@hks.net | population is in prison, the highest count in the world. We
cactus@bb.com  | live in a police state and are lulled by notions of normalcy.