From: Paul Spirito <berezina@qed.net>
Date: Mon, 27 Oct 1997 04:18:30 +0800
To: Tim May <tcmay@got.net>
Subject: Re: NAMBLA embattled -- mirror sites?
In-Reply-To: <Pine.GSO.3.95.971024181115.26025B-100000@well.com>
Message-ID: <19971026200752100.AAA149@Berezina>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain



At 07:40 AM 10/25/97 +0000, Tim May wrote:

>These are areas where untraceable data havens really shine. My own
>Blacknet, as an example. If the NAMBLA material were to be periodically
>sent out via remailers, to Usenet, censorship would be nearly impossible.
>
>And so would traceability and, hence, culpability.

The problem is that this only makes the technological point that censorship
is increasingly difficult, not the political point that it's wrong -- that
NAMBLA has a right to publish their material. The technological point is
worth making, but -- particularly when the information has little inherent
value -- I believe the political point is more important. I'd like to avert
a society in which unpopular publications exist only by subterfuge. In
fact, a technological response may be negative in this case, inspiring
calls for greater controls, which, while they may fail to achieve their aim, would make life worse.

Anyway -- sign me up, Declan.

Paul