From: wlkngowl@unix.asb.com (Mutatis Mutantdis)
Date: Tue, 30 Jan 1996 11:44:50 +0800
To: cypherpunks@toad.com
Subject: Re: Opinion piece in NYT; responses needed
Message-ID: <199601300105.UAA18553@UNiX.asb.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain


On Sun, 28 Jan 1996 19:33:19 -0500, Jonathan Rochkind wrote:

>>   The New York Times, January 2, 1996, Business, p. 14
>>
>>
>>   Viewpoint: J. Walker Smith
>>
>>   Standoff in Cyberspace Gulch
>>
>>
[..]
>[I'm going to try to make myself write a letter to the NYT in response to
>that viewpoint, making some of these points I'm saying it's important to
>make, but you should too. :)  ]

Don't leave out an important point ignored by both sides of the debate
all too often (esp. by the "decency" folk): the structure of the 'net
itself (well, sort of).

It's a decentered network (or set of networks) designed to get
information to its addressee.  Data flows through several nodes and
networks until it reaches its destination.  If it can't get through
one path, it goes through the other.

This isn't just for mail but all "packets" that flow on the net: web
pages, file transfers, telnetting, etc. [A good segue to arguing
"security related to privacy can go here...]

Limiting content or access is only superficially impossible.  The
international scope of the 'net makes even agreeing to standards
impossible.