It would help if in similar discussions participants first find out what are the ethical fundamentals that they agree on. May I suggest the following:
1) Torture is absolutely unacceptable. It includes not only physical harm to the individual's body, bit also actions that instill pain or fear without leaving permanent marks on the body (water-boarding, mock executions...), mind-altering pharmaceuticals or keeping one locked up for refusing either a confession or self-incriminatory evidence. 2) No one can prevent an individual to keep his journals or ledgers in a language that only he understands, or any two individuals to communicate in such language. The fact that such language happens to be a stream of ones and zeros changes nothing, as does not the fact that a mechanical or electronic device - instead of pen and paper - may be used for reading and writing this language. Mere possession and use of such device can not be considered a transgression, any more than a possession of pen and paper. These two principles seem to me to be universal. After that, it becomes the matter of an individual jurisdiction law and the majority rule. Personally, I would not be much thrilled to live under a government that restricts the trade in the aforementioned devices, or worse, punishes someone for constructing them and making them available. I have lived long enough too see many different governments manipulate the public, typically using a mixture of fear-mongering and ideology, to accept various laws that are quite unpalatable to me. However, the discussion of one particular government's behavior is best left to it's citizens. _______________________________________________ Gnupg-users mailing list [email protected] http://lists.gnupg.org/mailman/listinfo/gnupg-users
