On Thu, 25 Apr 1996, Hal wrote:
I was encouraged to read the description by former NSA lawyer Stewart Baker of Japan's attitudes towards crypto policy (from the URL posted here by wb8foz@nrk.com, http://www.us.net/~steptoe/276915.htm). We can all take heart in what Baker finds alarming:
Yeah, that's sweet. I'm concerned that it might paint too glowing a picture of Japanese civil liberties, though. NOTE: -LOlsen (I'm speaking beyond my experience) It was my impression that the Japanese response to the Aum Shinrikyo terrorist gassing was more draconian and one-sided than the US response to the Oklahoma City bombing. For all the doomsday talk, you must acknowledge that the "anti-terrorism" bill was stalled for a full year by an odd coalition of right-wing and civil-liberties groups. I have not heard about such political discussions in Japan. The police seemed to have carte blanche to ban the cult, seize its assets, and investigate and/or arrest anyone associated with it. If I'm misinformed, please enlighten me. It's certainly true that internationalization usually means openness, which usually means privacy and freedom. -rich