At 08:31 AM 2/2/01 -0800, Darryl wrote:
>So...was this a good idea or a bad idea? Fascism creeping in, or just
>an advanced form of cops recognizing the perp they brought in last
>month? Any changes you'd like to see made?
David Brin actually addressed this in a speech yesterday.
He pointed out that it is very reasonable for us to expect us to be able to
deny the elites the use of this technology. So, why not ensure that the
elites are as open as possible about using it.
For example, imagine two worlds. In one of them, every bit of information
is known by everybody else - i.e. there is zero privacy. Now you and I
probably would not much enjoy living in such a world, but there would be no
secrets.
In the other world, everyone is surrounded by this thick haze, such that
you can't really see anyone. Yet, can you really be *sure* that nobody
else can see you? Can you ever really know that your secrets are still
secret?
Fundamentally, it is much easier to know that you are looking at somebody
else than to know that nobody is looking at you. Now, so long as we will
never again be able to be *sure* that nobody is using this technology on
us, why not try and ensure that use of this technology is as open as possible?
JDG
__________________________________________________________
John D. Giorgis - [EMAIL PROTECTED] - ICQ #3527685
"Never tiring, never yielding, never finishing, we renew that purpose today:
to make our country more just and generous; to affirm the dignity of
our lives and every life." - George W. Bush Inaugural Address 1/20/01
