Alex Strasheim wrote:
That's what this list is all about: we're trying to impose certain civil liberties on the world using a strategy that's based on anarchy theory. That theory tells us that if we can distribute tools and establish standards we'll secure privacy and free speech rights regardless of what governments do. That's a very startling idea, and I believe it's sound. I believe that it's possible to impose the first ammendment on the entire world by distributing crypto software.
So the question we ought to be putting to the NSA is this: isn't it in the best interest of the United States and the other capitalist Western democracies to impose the first ammendment on the rest of the world?
I don't see how anyone could argue that it isn't.
I think that you are putting too much faith in both the western governments and the citizens of those countries. If you read the article that I originally quoted, you will find that the author (in the UK) feels that the first ammendment gives us in the US too much freedom of speech. I think that many (perhaps most) feel the same way. They are willing to give up their liberty for some dubious protections as Ben Franklin spins in his grave. --Jeff -- Jeff Weinstein - Electronic Munitions Specialist Netscape Communication Corporation jsw@netscape.com - http://home.netscape.com/people/jsw Any opinions expressed above are mine.