From: alano@teleport.com (Alan Olsen)
Date: Sun, 4 Dec 94 15:38:00 PST
To: cypherpunks@toad.com
Subject: future entrapment
Message-ID: <199412042337.PAA01281@desiree.teleport.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain


>From: Mklprc@aol.com
>Date: Sun, 4 Dec 1994 09:26:11 -0500
>To: scottr@hevanet.com
>Cc: alano@teleport.com, brew@mtek.com, GERICKS971@aol.com,
>        74710.3505@compuserve.com, furseor1@hr.house.gov
>Subject: future entrapment
>
>Something to think about...(fwd)
>
>Thought you all might be interested in this excerpt from CPSR list regarding
>copyrights on the Net and especially how police can use the Web to set up
>stings.
>
>mp
>
>
>------------------------------
>
>Date: Thu, 1 Dec 1994 07:45:31 -0800
>From: Charlie Stross <charless@sco.com> (by way of marsha-w@uiuc.edu
>To: cpsr-global@cpsr.org
>
>Philosophically, I see most journalists as being filters. Some of us
>read press releases, strip out the propaganda, and supply the results
>(with interpretation) to the public. Some of us go and try to nail
>down the story by poking around and asking questions. But ultimately
>we rely on sensory input at some level -- and all we do is rearrange
>it, comment on it (by referring to prior input), and punt it out again
>at our readers.  This is fundamentally an editorial process, and there
>will be more need for it -- not less -- as the information deluge
>gathers momentum.
>
>There's a huge problem on the net: how does copyright apply to a reference?
>For example: I can't stitch a Far Side cartoon into my WWW home page. But
>I _can_ embed an <IMG SRC= ...> directive in my page, pointing to a Far
>Side cartoon that is _legitimately_ stored somewhere else on the net. When
>you look at my page you will see the cartoon ... and will have a bit of a
>headache when you stop to think about the copyright implications.
>
>The precise question of what constitutes a copyright violation runs
>into a wall of mud as soon as you start asking questions about sources
>and hyperlinks. For example, here's the kind of havoc you can wreak by
>classifying all embedded link dereferences as deliberate actions.
>Suppose I am a cop in some redneck area, and I want to nail someone
>who uses the net locally.  I could run a _very_ neat entrapment sting
>to nail people for posession of kiddie porn:
>
>*       establish a local WWW server hosting some useful information
>*       configure the server to record the IP addresses of people who
>        access it, and cross-reference them to obtain geographical
>        locations as registered with NIC. Feed this into a GIS and
>        track local accesses.
>*       have a list of people who I want  to nail.
>*       filter all HTTP requests through a script that
>        -       checks the list of victims
>        -       if a request for a file comes in from one of the
>                targets, munge the outgoing web page to include
>                a <IMG SRC= ...> tag pointing to a foreign site
>                carrying images deemed pornographic in my jurisdiction
>        -       ring the console bell
>
>As soon as someone on the hit list downloads a file, you have prima
>facie evidence that they are probably in posession of some kiddie porn.
>Instant search warrant time ...
>
>(And in case you were wondering, this is just a technology twist on top
>of the recent Adult Action BBS case in Mississippi.)
>
>Basically, as far as I can see, conventional notions of copyright are
>going to have to change -- because copying is no longer the only mechanism
>for gaining posession of information. Our notions of intellectual property
>may also have to change ...
>
>
>-- Charlie
>
>(Who happens to write a column in Online World, and who can be found
>most months in Computer Shopper and some months in PC PLUS -- all three
>of them UK-based magazines unrelated to any US titles of the same name.)
>-------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>
>++M++++I++++C++++H++++A++++E++++L++++++P+++++E+++++A+++++R+++++C+++++E++++
>|         mklprc@aol.com          | Knowledge for the pupil -er- people. |
>|      mklprc@teleport.com        | Give them a light and they'll        |
>|  "annoying Xists since 1966"    | follow it anywhere!   -- Firesign    |
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>
>
>
|       "Encryption ROT13s your mind."            | alano@teleport.com   |
|"Would you rather be tortured by the government  | Disclaimer:          |
|forces or the people's liberation army?" -mklprc | Ignore the man       |
|   -- PGP 2.6.2 key available on request --      |  behind the keyboard.|