[79288] in Cypherpunks
Re: Data Privacy Laws
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Tim May)
Wed Apr 30 00:44:41 1997
X-Real-To: cypherpunks@toad.com
In-Reply-To: <m0wMOKd-0003b7C@ulf.mali.sub.org>
Date: Tue, 29 Apr 1997 19:15:35 -0800
To: 3umoelle@informatik.uni-hamburg.de (Ulf =?iso-8859-1?Q?M=F6ller?= ),
cypherpunks@toad.com
From: Tim May <tcmay@got.net>
Reply-To: Tim May <tcmay@got.net>
At 5:37 PM -0800 4/29/97, Ulf M=F6ller wrote:
>> > According to the Registrar's office, anyone who is processing persona=
l
>> > information, even as little as names and addresses received over the
>> > Internet, could find themselves facing an unlimited fine in the highe=
r
>> > courts if they do not register with the Data Protection Registrar.
>
>> This is well known to most of us. Still, we periodically get "privacy
>> advocates" here on this list singing the praises of the various European
>> "data privacy laws" and urging other nations to adopt the same sorts of
>> laws.
>
>It is worth noting that the "Data Privacy Commissioners" in Germany
>(equivalent to the British Data Protection Registrar) are beginning to
>advocate technologies such as anonymous e-cash, pre-paid chipcards,
>pseudonyms, and of course encryption, rather than more laws.
This is very encouraging, if true. (Not that I doubt Ulf, but one must
always be careful in considering the plans and promises of government
entities.)
It would be especially nice (schon, or schoen--my Mac supports umlauts, of
course, but I never try to use them in ASCII posts) if Germany were to
abandon its control-freak stance toward the Internet and realize that "the
best cure for bad language is more language" and "sunlight is the best
disinfectant." (These are both well-known sayings about free speech.)
--Tim May
There's something wrong when I'm a felon under an increasing number of laws.
---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:----
Timothy C. May | Crypto Anarchy: encryption, digital money,
tcmay@got.net 408-728-0152 | anonymous networks, digital pseudonyms, zero
W.A.S.T.E.: Corralitos, CA | knowledge, reputations, information markets,
Higher Power: 2^1398269 | black markets, collapse of governments.
"National borders aren't even speed bumps on the information superhighway."
