[46160] in Cypherpunks
RE: last straw (or Possible Developments re Censorship)
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (blanc)
Sun Dec 31 00:37:09 1995
From: blanc <blancw@accessone.com>
To: "cypherpunks@toad.com" <cypherpunks@toad.com>
Date: Sat, 30 Dec 1995 21:26:49 -0800
From: Dr. Dimitri Vulis
And now comes the *point*:
There's much information on CompuServe that cannot be accessed from the =
outside.
One example is the very informative National Computer Security =
Association's
forum. ...[etc.]
........................................................................=
...........................
Aside from the obvious implications to liberty, of the backing down =
from standing up (!) to the demand for self-censorship, I was thinking =
about other possible developments:
Since, as 'Dr. Dimitri' mentions, CompuServe offers some info which is =
not available from other sources - and this info is often quite =
useful/valuable to business enterprises, such that they and other =
individuals would not be too keen on abandoning these immediately just =
for the principle of the thing - it could develop that those who are =
willing and can afford it, will end up "supporting", or getting services =
from, different providers based on the particular services which they =
offer.
This could represent a partial solution (in my mind, at least, not being =
inclined toward blanket censorship of all things discomfitting to my =
sensibilities) to the matter of there being free-radical electrons "out =
there" existing in the form & shape of various degrees of sexual =
permutations: =20
. Those concerned that their children may innocently surf over to =
alt.binaries.naughty.nude.x-rated.pictures and see alarming truths about =
adult behavior, and don't want to purchase the available filtering =
software, could subscribe to CompuServe and rest assured that their =
children would only have access to safe, industrial-strength info on =
that account.
. Those wishing want to discuss their sexually-related personal =
problems, or who are pleased to just look at/talk about sex et al, =
could continue do so through their subscription to the adult bbs-es or =
local ISPs providing uncensored access to all newsgroups.
It could develop that large companies providing internet access will =
seek to distinguish/identify themselves (as they are tending to do =
already) between the pablum-feeding family-types like AOL, or =
corporate/business-types like CompuServe, or free-for alls like local =
ISPs. Such developments of course would depend on a tolerance for the =
existence of those un-specialized carriers which aren't adverse to =
transmitting controversial, "sensitive" content. =20
These divisions among services might still not be acceptable to States =
and Nations & other 'busybodies', but the resistance to such =
developments would only serve to more explicitly define the problem; it =
could make prominent the real issue of people's attitudes, fears, and =
expectations concerning sex & human nature, and of the obstacles in the =
way of achieving personal responsibility regarding these (among other =
things).
..
Blanc
