bryden@chopin.udel.edu (Chris Bryden) (01/25/91)
In article <> mathew@mantis.co.uk (mathew) writes: }ray@philmtl.philips.ca (Ray Dunn) writes: }> Anonymity is a tool which is useful to promote freedom of expression of }> ideas which might "rock-the-boat", gently or otherwise. Anonymity protects }> the poster from any any adverse reaction caused by damage to himself or to }> the "target" of his posts if any. Anonymity not only promotes freedom of expression, but it could also be used as a tool for gathering information that nobody in their right mind would release. Consider John G. DeArmond's piss test survey and drug attitude census. Usenet is not a perfect sample of society, but it certainly is a metaphor for how information may be gathered in the future. Anonymity is a part of everyday life, you read in on the bathroom walls and deal with in on the job. Heard of a blind carbon copy? They're standard practice in corporate America. There's no reason not to have Anonymity in usenet. In fact, you can't avoid it. }> If he believes there is nothing to be protected from, there is no need to }> post anonymously. }There is something for BIFF to be protected from. The flame mail of }people who think "if I don't like it, it shouldn't be there." Usenet is a creative anarchy. There's lots of reasons people want to stay anonymous. Women, gays, whistle blowers, subversives, activists, thiefs etc., all deserve the right to be anonymous. Even if the powers that be wanted to take this right away, they would only find that anonymous posting services, training accounts and very intricate forgeries would popup. }> By using anonymity, the poster demonstates his belief that *he* believes }> they may have some effect from which he needs protected. I think that there's enough Usenet history to demonstrate that anonymity is not a paranoid want. Sometimes it's necessary. It should be available all the time. I'm supprised that the GNU people haven't raised a little more electronic hell. I mean we live in a time where intelectual property rights are made, tested and expoited by large corperations. If alt.sources.grab-bag (a hypothetical news group where copyrighted programs (say, like the latest mac roms) were posted in an encrypted format along with an ftp address where the key could be found) poped up, how many sysadmins would blow it out of the water? I'll tell you. Just about everybody. The rest would be put in jail. Now, consider the moral and ethical implications of such a news group. As posted, the sources would be useless, thus depriving those who retrieved file from the group of any actual use. Similarly, the intelectual owner of the posted sources would not be directly deprived of income because of the poster's actions. Only users who retrieved and used the key would be responsible for thieft. To prove copyright infringement, three actions must be show to be true without a reasonable doubt. Access to the copyrighted materials must be demonstraited, actual copying of the property must be show and a demonstraited loss of income in necessary. It would be hard to nail someone who posted to grab-bag based current legislation, but hey, that's the law. Now, let me tell you why no sysadm on earth would let a group like that exist on their machine. As it stands now, the government holds the administrators of news distributing computer resposible for all the information that flows to and through their computer. Witness all the BBS gone astray computer seizures. Yeh, like news administrators actually filter through 10 megs of information a day... If we want Usenet to mirror society, there is some amount of trust that must be put to the citizens of the community. After all, when you pay that kid 25 cents to wash your windshield, are you really doing it because you don't want him to smash it out? Or, do you trust him? Ultimately, you should ask yourself how you would like society to be and apply your wishes to Usenet. Because, as real society becomes more and more information dependent, it will begin to look more and more like Usenet. In a sentence, Usenet is a possible practicing ground for our (non-electric) society: don't make decisions that please those in power; make decisions that please yourself. Chris -- {gateway}!udel!brahms!bryden | I am a direct result of the policies and actions bryden@udel.edu 302-451-6339 | that are endorsed by the University of Delaware.