PUBLISHING WITHOUT PERISHING The Internet has become a haven for political and social activists seeking broader audiences for their controversial views. Yet some, living in oppressive environments such as China, Singapore, and the Middle East have come to fear reprimand from extremist religious groups or from local governments, which often filter Internet content to ensure social order. To enable these activists to distribute their writings safely, an Internet startup has formed to allow authors to publish sensitive information under the cloak of anonymity. The online bookstore, Booklocker.com, offers official page forms to preserve an author's anonymity, and site creator Angela Adair-Hoy says she will release the authors names only under court order. One Booklocker.com user, who goes by the pen name Savasan Yurtserver, fears terrorist action or political exile in response to his book, "The Bible or The Koran," which compares flaws in the two holy texts. "In the East, you can't question the scriptures," says Yurtserver. "There are many terrorist organizations in both my country and in the neighboring countries who take note of the authors that have radical views about religion only to kill them later." (Wired News, 25 Feb 2000) ========================================================== Mark Leighton Fisher Thomson Consumer Electronics [EMAIL PROTECTED] Indianapolis, IN "Their walls are built of cannon balls, their motto is 'Don't Tread on Me'"
