From: Black Unicorn <unicorn@schloss.li>
Date: Wed, 13 Nov 1996 17:10:44 -0800 (PST)
To: Adam Back <aba@dcs.ex.ac.uk>
Subject: Re: Secrecy: My life as a nym. (Was: nym blown?)
In-Reply-To: <199611131722.RAA00682@server.test.net>
Message-ID: <Pine.SUN.3.94.961113200235.4470B-100000@polaris>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain


On Wed, 13 Nov 1996, Adam Back wrote:

> 
> Black Unicorn <unicorn@schloss.li> writes:

[Market discussion]

> > Why is use of the legal system any different?  If it is so wrong for me to
> > use the legal system as it stands, and if I am to be the subject of
> > criticism for the conduct, then aren't the critics imposing their moral
> > view on me?  Isn't this what libertarian cypherpunks dislike in the first
> > place?
> 
> The problem for me when people talk about suing people for slander in
> net discussions is that it involves governments and laws impinging on
> the internet.  Other examples of legislation interacting with the
> internet have been entirely negative: some people have called for
> legislation to stop "spamming", legislation to restrict pornography,
> "indecent speech", etc, etc The internet in my view is best off with
> the least possible government or legal interference.

Let's sum this up.  Government intervention via law suits is a bad thing.

[...]

> Now I'm sure the idea of slander law suits is to stop the slander,
> recompense for damages etc. but it is a thing prone to misuse, and
> balanced in favour of those with money.

And this:
Law suits (and thus government intervention) are prone to abuse.

> Someone who is using a nym, and for purposes including avoiding the
> possibility of frivolous law suits, to suggest suing someone who
> slanders this nym is not that productive I think.  The slanderer may
> also adopt the same strategy, and adopt their own nym!  

And this:
Use of law suits may expand the use of nyms.

> Nym sues nym.  I think not.  An alternate view of slander law suits is
> as a way to encourage the use of Nyms.  Certainly the dissenters of
> the unnamed pseudo religious have learnt the value of nyms, remailers
> and so forth.  There are distinct advantages to nyms.

You just made my argument for me.

Again, have to use the system to expose its flaws.

Same thing with privacy.  It is one thing to suggest that people respect
privacy because it is the "right thing to do."

Isn't it much more productive to make privacy unviolable from the
beginning via technology?

Readers might note that one of the result of my settlement agreement with
a certain flamer who decried the use of nyms (among other things) was this
flamer's eventual resort to the use of a nym.

Interesting lesson that, I believe.

You have to impose the price to get efficency.

> Adam
> --
> print pack"C*",split/\D+/,`echo "16iII*o\U@{$/=$z;[(pop,pop,unpack"H*",<>
> )]}\EsMsKsN0[lN*1lK[d2%Sa2/d0<X+d*lMLa^*lN%0]dsXx++lMlN/dsM0<J]dsJxp"|dc`

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