Robert Hettinga wrote:
However, I also think that Phill has this passion for order that sometimes borders on the pathological. Maybe because, like Bertrand Russell (who Phill and I both admire) says, romanticism, leftism and communism are basically feudalism in disguise, and Phill's a closet aristocrat. ;-). Maybe not.
Of course socialism is grounded in paternalism. Robert Owen, its founder was in his day the equivalent of Steve Jobs, an extreemly rich and successful merchant who considered that wealth also implied responsibility.
I think what we see as his blustering trolls on this list come from passion. But, I don't think they're trolls at all. I think they show, more often than not, his outrage at the way the world's going to go. Which, obviously, is *our* way, and not his. He knows very well the power of the technology we talk about here, and deep down, I think he knows we're right.
If people want to have a sensible disscussion about technology and policy then I think that keeping the discussion grounded in reality is a good thing. I don't think that the political situation is going in a libertarian direction, quite the opposite. I see technology as having greatly increased the power of government and that it will be necessary to institute checks and balances to make it work. I also think that you are being very naive with regards to the threat posed by corporations to individual liberties. I see no reason to distinguish between corporate intrusions and state intrusions except in one respect. If we can't find a way to make society work without some form of intrusion the agency that is responsible has to be under democratic control. I think that unless the case for privacy is put in a way which society at large accepts then Freeh and the corporations will win. HMOs will be touting peoples medical records on the open market (many already do), employers will vet empoloyees on the basis of reports drawing on information on video rentals and so on. I certainly don't agree with Denning or Sternlight. Sternlight is either a fool or an invention of the NSA. Denning bases her argument against crypto on hidden sources. I know my experience in the area concerned to be significantly greater than hers since if she had operational experience she would say so. Phill