Dear All, Sorry about the off-topic message.
In New Scientist magazine this week, there is an article in the "Opinion Viewpoint" section by Mike Holderness, entitled "Every step you take: Making Government databases fit the best standards of compatibility is what will destroy privacy, not surveillance." Date 25 May 2002 Issue 2344 Page 50 It is not on their website yet <http://www.newscientist.com> The highly amusing (but scary) article presents a future fictitious scenario where all British Government Department databases can be cross referenced, because their idealistic technicians have used the kind of XML-based open standards we are implementing! He presents the case that because these databases (Tax, VAT, Vehicle licenses, TV licenses, Health etc.) are all implemented using incompatible proprietary systems, information about us cannot be cross referenced and that this constitutes an important safeguard to our privacy (we have no constitution in the UK). How about adding a clause to the Apache License, "This software cannot be used to reduce anybody's human rights or civil liberties". ;) regards Jeremy --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] For additional commands, email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
