From: Joichi Ito <jito@eccosys.com>
Date: Wed, 19 Nov 1997 13:58:28 +0800
To: cypherpunks@cyberpass.net
Subject: Re: [cpe:4532] Re: Exporting crypto from Japan
In-Reply-To: <199711170700.QAA13617@eccosys.com>
Message-ID: <199711190552.OAA16419@eccosys.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain



At 16:23 97/11/17 GMT, Adam Back wrote:

> I am not sure why discussion should lower your reputation capital,
> unless open discussion is frowned upon by those who you wish to
> influence.  Perhaps you fear that you will be dismissed as a
> cypherpunk, a hardliner, whilst you are trying to appear less radical.

Maybe reputation capital is not the right word. There are some people
who do not necessarily like what I am saying in Japan. I am using all
of the media spin that I can to keep the tabloids out of my face. I
regularly gets calls from the tabloids here trying to find something
to tear down my reputation in Japan. This method of media spin is
how most politicians in Japan extort and put pressure on public figures.

Even if everyone here knows exactly what I mean, people can quote
me out of context and things can escalate from there.

So yes. I fear being cast as a cypherpunk hardliner and having it
distorted in the Japanese press. I know for a fact that a few people
are trying to do this and more will in the future.

> I am pleased that you are discussing with us crypto politics in
> Japan... we have few contributors from Japan in the past.  The lower
> protection for political speech in your country I always suspected was
> the problem.  Dissidents who speak out against the government line in
> Japan I suspect are taking bigger risks than in the US, UK, and
> Europe.

You are correct. It is difficult to be a successful dissident in Japan.

> I would've thought that the NSA's world policeman attempts would be
> resented by Japanese secret service types.  I get the impression there
> are tensions between EU, UK and US secret services.

They are resented in Japan. The problem is, I have many of my assets
in the United States so taking a Japanese nationalist stance against
the NSA is not very intelligent for me. I like many things in the US
and I would like to protect my ability to access to those things.

> > So... I am a wimpy moderate, but at least I'm talking to you folks.
> > If you want me to shit or get off the pot, I think I'll get off the
> > pot.
> 
> Well be careful of doing deals with the devil.  Several crypto
> lobbying groups in the US some suspect did more harm than good.  These
> groups lost their no compromise stance, and ended up helping to draft
> laws to ban crypto because they thought they could make the laws
> mildly less obnoxious by doing so.  It may even have been the case
> that they had a net negative impact on freedom of crypto.  Making
> deals with politicians is a dangerous game to play.  They are
> opinionless power brokers, and will just use you as a bargaining chip.

I agree. I am trying to keep my politics rather disorganized and
focused on cutting through lies and bullshit rather than building
a political position. I have not organized anything other than a
regular cypherpunks meeting where many different types of people
exchange views and work on technology. I do not "negotiate" with
the government. I just express my opinions. For now... but I understand
very well the risk of political exposure. Many of my colleagues
and friends have been  socially destroyed when trying to break a pact
with the "dark side." I have already had several "recruitment"
pings from the "dark side," and the most recent attempt in the form
of a bribe offer, I reported Time Magazine. The "dark side" doesn't
like me, but they don't have anything on me... yet...

> > P.S. I am going out of town for two days and may not have
> > net connectivity. So, if I don't respond to something, it's not
> > because I'm hiding. If you don't hear from me in 3 days, call John
> > Markoff for me. ;-P
> 
> Don't know how things work in Japan, but I hear from people who've had
> spooky attentions that the best protection against spooks is harsh
> bright lights: they hate publicity.

Same. Markoff promised that if I received a threat from either the US
or Japanese government, he would write it up in the New York Times
for me. I think this is the best protection I have.

 - Joi

--
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