From: Matthew Gaylor (freematt@coil.com)
Date: Mon Jun 04 2001 - 09:30:33 MDT
I recently moderated a panel discussion on the Internet and the first
amendment with authors James P. Hogan, L. Neil Smith and Victor Milan
along with a couple of computer professionals and a university
professor thrown in for good measure. During the discussion somebody
brought up the persistent topic of Carnivore, the FBI's e-mail snoop
system.
From my perspective who ever originally named "Carnivore" should
receive an award for picking a name that was sure to engender the
most opposition. According to Reuters, Paul Bresson, an FBI
spokesman, said, "With upgrades come new names." The old name of a
flesh-eating predator had conjured up "unfortunate" images for many
people, he added. The FBI has since switched the system name to
DCS1000. I would have named it the Millennium Juvenile Guardian.
But then again I'm not a jack booted thug which goes along way in
explaining how they selected the name "Carnivore" in the first place .
And let's not forget that this system isn't hardwired like it will be
in Britain and other nations that don't enjoy as many protections
against the state as we do in the 'good ole USA'. At the least the
FBI has to make some effort.
As I pointed out to the audience, some of whom were sitting on the
floor as every seat was taken, that "carnivore" really only effects a
relatively small number of individuals as the bureau only has less
than 20 machines in operation. I also wondered out loud what the
chances are that an ISP would tell their customers of the added bonus
of having "carnivore" installed this month for their safety and
convenience. Next to zero I should think.
As I thought of "carnivore" I reflexively mentioned that the real
threat doesn't lie with the FBI, but rather with the filtering that
goes on in our schools and libraries. Censorware has got to be one
of the most Orwellian concepts yet implemented. Not only does the
software not work as advertised, but when it does work it frequently
filters out information of a political nature. We should take a long
hard look at allowing public school teachers and library bureaucrats
to decide which thoughts students are "allowed" to think. Whatever
happened to free inquiry? As currently set up most filtering
applications won't even give students free access to publications as
benign and factual as an Encyclopedia. Students all across the
country are being suspended and expelled for engaging in speech,
having an unpopular opinion, or drawing a non-state approved item
such as a gun in any form.
But as I thought of the Internet in the great scheme of things I
didn't and don't find the various governmental snoop programs to be
that much of a worry. The Internet is a flood of freedom, and
despite the dire warnings and absurd inflations of leviathan power,
the Internet has made us more free and given the state less power.
And don't forget that you can and should use encryption if you're
really worried about prying eyes.
The state now has a real dilemma. They can participate in a global
free market economy using the Internet or they can shoot themselves
in the head by restricting it's use. Once technology is out of the
bag, the genie can't be put back into the bottle, that is unless you
want to create a third world nation for yourself.
Regards, Matt-
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