On Sat, 27 Apr 1996, Rich Graves wrote:
On Sat, 27 Apr 1996, Black Unicorn wrote:
[Unicorn of Color:] I think you took my comment in a smaller scope than it was intended.
Use a nym. If you want absolute privacy, work and study under a nym. It's hardly difficult, you just have to start early.
I disagree that it's "hardly difficult" for most normal people. There are bits and pieces of helpful information around, but they tend to be in tax-protester-type rags that also contain a lot of loony stuff guaranteed to land you in jail. And many of them are just snake oil scams themselves. You know the difference, but I'm only starting to learn to, and Joe Schmo hasn't a chance.
It's an informational issue, not a logistical problem. This much is true. But think of it this way. Joe Blow's house burns down, taking with it all his documentation. Even Joe Blow has to be able to replace it all even with no credentials. So what makes you and Joe Blow distinct when you're standing in line to get those credentials? That should give you some idea of the (lack of) difficulty.
Anyway, I can't work for an organization like Stanford University without a real name and Social Security number.
I challenge this assumption.
In theory, I suppose, that real name and Social Security number don't need to be the only ones I have.
Precisely.
Depending on someone else (university, employer, government, phonecompany etc.) to protect data for you is, in my view, foolish.
In this case, I am the "someone else." How do I behave responsibly when I have thousands of people coming in every Fall with no clue about privacy issues?
[...]
It was an uphill battle just to delink identity, location, and DNS registration. It used to be that you could pinpoint a student's name, address, and telephone number by their personal computer's static IP address. They weren't even told that this was possible. On yesterday's lovey-dovey research/educational Internet where everybody trusted everybody else, it was just more efficient for troubleshooters and system administrators to know where everybody was. Now, it's a scarier world, and we all know that, but it's tough convincing people to change a system that works.
I applaud your efforts, but the 'one good administrator' can only do so much. In the end if people want privacy they have to work for it themselves. The goal in my view is to promote an atmosphere where that kind of self-insurance is possible, not one that puts the responsibility in the hands of government, or the system administrator.
My personal choice has been (near-) complete openness, because I ironically feel more secure if it is trivial for certain very specific nutcases to verify that I pose no threat to them. I do not wish my enemies to be paranoid. Paranoid people break things.
The nice thing about paranoids, and other privacy invaders, is that when they have an answer to a question they usually stop looking. Provide them with an answer. --- My preferred and soon to be permanent e-mail address:unicorn@schloss.li "In fact, had Bancroft not existed, potestas scientiae in usu est Franklin might have had to invent him." in nihilum nil posse reverti 00B9289C28DC0E55 E16D5378B81E1C96 - Finger for Current Key Information Opp. Counsel: For all your expert testimony needs: jimbell@pacifier.com