regulating the internet -- clarification
To clarify: I'm serious about this question, if for no other reason than I am editing a paper that basically claims it is impossible to regulate the internet. I wish that were true, but I'm not sure I buy it. Any input is most appreciated.
On Thu, 2 Apr 1998, Jennifer DePalma wrote:
To clarify: I'm serious about this question, if for no other reason than I am editing a paper that basically claims it is impossible to regulate the internet. I wish that were true, but I'm not sure I buy it. Any input is most appreciated.
I am serious about my answer too. My answer is "no". To clarify: I do NOT think it is feasible "to regulate the Internet". The feds don't have enough clueservers to keep up with the technology and the growth. Only Fidel Castro could single-handedly regulate the Internet, but he still doesn't have Internet access (besides that AOL account), so that's a moot point. Trying to "regulate the Internet" is like the government trying to regulate an individual's bowel movements. Ex-Lax does a better job, but still can't do it right. Just say no to government sponsored prostate exams and body cavity searches. Ken
Let's be fair to Jennifer: the Internet is a self-regulated community. From Netiquette to Protocols, there is actually quite a lot of regulation going on. However, for the most part, this regulation is voluntary: you choose to opt in, or in the case of Spamford Wallace, people ultimately choose not to deal with you. They may even seek civil remedies in court. In this respect, the Internet is a model for the self-regulating markeplace of the future. Is is possible to regulate the Internet? You bet, but not in any productive, useful way. You want to regulate the Internet? Just go to France and try something called the Minitel. It's a nice toy that some people like to play with, but it is a closed-end system that does not have the capacity to evolve, develop, and innovate the way the Internet does. Encryption controls are a great example of the futility of attempting to "regulate" the net. As Adam Back delights in showing, you can write powerful crypto in tiny little hacks of maybe 130 characters or so in perl. These give you the ability to encrypt any size file with a key of abritrary length. Who are the feds kidding when they think that they can "stop" people from doing this?
-----Original Message----- From: owner-cypherpunks@cyberpass.net [mailto:owner-cypherpunks@cyberpass.net]On Behalf Of Ken Williams Sent: Thursday, April 02, 1998 4:21 PM To: Jennifer DePalma Cc: cypherpunks@toad.com Subject: Re: regulating the internet -- clarification
On Thu, 2 Apr 1998, Jennifer DePalma wrote:
To clarify: I'm serious about this question, if for no other reason than I am editing a paper that basically claims it is impossible to regulate the internet. I wish that were true, but I'm not sure I buy it. Any input is most appreciated.
I am serious about my answer too. My answer is "no".
To clarify: I do NOT think it is feasible "to regulate the Internet". The feds don't have enough clueservers to keep up with the technology and the growth. Only Fidel Castro could single-handedly regulate the Internet, but he still doesn't have Internet access (besides that AOL account), so that's a moot point. Trying to "regulate the Internet" is like the government trying to regulate an individual's bowel movements. Ex-Lax does a better job, but still can't do it right.
Just say no to government sponsored prostate exams and body cavity searches.
Ken
James Lucier wrote:
Let's be fair to Jennifer: the Internet is a self-regulated community. From Netiquette to Protocols, there is actually quite a lot of regulation going on. However, for the most part, this regulation is voluntary: you choose to opt in, or in the case of Spamford Wallace, people ultimately choose not to deal with you. They may even seek civil remedies in court. In this respect, the Internet is a model for the self-regulating markeplace of the future.
ok, fair enough..to actually regulate the internet would require a "coming-together" of sorts by the major countries in the world..have they been able to accomplish this as of yet? no..now, granted, there could be possible laws, rules, etc made that would enforce (somehwat) this policy in differnet parts of the world..but..eventually, there's going to be some "stepping on toes" of one nation on another..or one region on another..or whatever..it just won't "jive". But, provided they did manage to pull a universal proposition off that everyone could agree on..do you honestly believe the people that actually know how to conrol/manipulate these sytems would allow it? there're a lot more people that have the technical savvy that would oppose that, than there are that would defend it..if you ask me..
participants (4)
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Abstruse -
James Lucier -
Jennifer DePalma -
Ken Williams