Re: Singularity: can't happen here

From: Robert Coyote (coyyote@hotmail.com)
Date: Mon Sep 10 2001 - 15:09:28 MDT


I desire for everyone to use encryption as habit, by default, on principle,
to make it a norm and a "given" that its used.

----- Original Message -----
From: "Charlie Stross" <charlie@antipope.org>
To: <extropians@extropy.org>
Sent: Monday, September 10, 2001 1:40 PM
Subject: Re: Singularity: can't happen here

> On Mon, Sep 10, 2001 at 06:50:33PM +0200, Eugene Leitl wrote:
> >
> > On Mon, 10 Sep 2001, Christian Szegedy wrote:
> >
> > > I am completely sure that this menace can not be fought by technical
> > > means such as secure distributed networks and underground hacking. Our
> >
> > You're completely, positively, absolutely sure? Wow. It is sure nice to
> > wake up in the morning to an universe of perfect certainties.
>
> I fear that Christian is right. My reason: network externalities assist
> whichever side has the biggest user base and handicap the side that has
> fewer. If people are afraid of using secure/concealed communications
> tools because they're illegal, the user base will be intrinsically smaller
> than the controlled play-pen the authorities allow them. Because it's
> smaller it will, paradoxically, be less useful ... therefore ultimately
> less attractive.
>
> All they have to do is put people off using the proscribed technologies
> by convincing them that they're illegal and bad things can happen to
people
> who use them, and they've won.
>
>
>
> -- Charlie
>



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