law vs technology
-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Recently there's been a great deal of discussion on this list about upcoming legislations (HR666 S314 etc.). Maybe it's time to step back a little and look at the bigger picture. I've been assuming (perhaps incorrectly) for some time that most cypherpunks hold a belief somewhat like the following: There has never been a government that didn't sooner or later try to reduce the freedom of its subjects and gain more control over them, and there probably never will be one. Therefore, instead of trying to convince our current government not to try, we'll develop the technology (e.g., remailers and ecash) that will make it impossible for the government to succeed. Efforts to influence the government (e.g., lobbying and propaganda) are important only in so far as to delay its attempted crackdown long enough for the technology to mature and come into wide use. But even if you do not believe the above is true, think about it this way: If you have a certain amount of time to spend on advancing the cause of greater personal privacy (or freedom, or cryptoanarchy, or whatever), can you do it better by using the time to learn about cryptography and develop the tools to protect privacy, or by convincing your government not to invade your privacy? I argue that since there are many more people doing the former (EFF, CPSR, etc) than latter, that you'd be more effective if you spent the time on the former. Wei Dai -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: 2.6.2 iQCVAwUBLzvayTl0sXKgdnV5AQEBvAP+MqsGer5pg2xM6+pYG7DgCSttUyAoG8I6 Hm/atFUdRauZ1WREpi3XTXEmNgT9m+QuON5+6rnUrfkizAdjr9EPFnXxMa8am8TZ W7iQBuKb/KktbClbQyKzndeAOQ3oIOi4ahdn5eseOCWc3wX/WcjR6w9WJ6yPWoTJ 6fcglCGgo/8= =Pc1V -----END PGP SIGNATURE----- E-mail: Wei Dai <weidai@eskimo.com> URL: "http://www.eskimo.com/~weidai" =================== Exponential Increase of Complexity =================== --> singularity --> atoms --> macromolecules --> biological evolution --> central nervous systems --> symbolic communication --> homo sapiens --> digital computers --> internetworking --> close-coupled automation --> broadband brain-to-net connections --> artificial intelligence --> distributed consciousness --> group minds --> ? ? ?
Wei Dai writes:
If you have a certain amount of time to spend on advancing the cause of greater personal privacy (or freedom, or cryptoanarchy, or whatever), can you do it better by using the time to learn about cryptography and develop the tools to protect privacy, or by convincing your government not to invade your privacy? I argue that since there are many more people doing the former (EFF, CPSR, etc) than latter, that you'd be more effective if you spent the time on the former.
[Presumably you meant, "many more people doing the *latter* than *former*"] Speaking strictly for myself, I agree. I'm relatively well-positioned to design and produce privacy- and security-preserving protocols and programs. OTOH, while I find politics absorbing, I don't have any special expertise or influence. Once the legal scholars start to debate legislation, I step out of the way. There is, however, an awfully wide spectrum of interests and abilities among the subscribers to this list, from what I can tell. Plenty of people here lack some of the requisite technical skills, but can offer significant assistance in other ways. So I think your point applies to some people here, but not everyone. I'm reminded of the controversy over the essential identity of cypherpunks. There was interminable wrangling over who (if anyone) "owned" the list, whether the list and Cypherpunks were identical, etc. AFAI can tell, the list comprises many of both run-of-the-mill privacy/security advocates (whatever that means) and Cypherpunks according to strict definitions as written by Tim and others. As a separate issue, there are quite a few vocal opponents of groups such as EFF on the list. I've no idea whether there's a silent majority ;) of lurkers who fully support EFF et al., but I suspect a sizable chunk of the list population disagrees that there are many people really fighting invasive govt. action. -L. Futplex McCarthy [seeking summer work, with a background in theoretical computer science; private email inquiries welcomed]
L. Futplex McCarthy's reply to Wei Dei: [ Snip! ]
As a separate issue, there are quite a few vocal opponents of groups such as EFF on the list. I've no idea whether there's a silent majority ;) of lurkers who fully support EFF et al., but I suspect a sizable chunk of the list population disagrees that there are many people really fighting invasive govt. action.
There's an advantage of techies getting politically active, provided they can explain the systems in an understandable way that is interesting, and provided that these issues hit home to them (ie, that you're not talking in technobabble and that they see the need for privacy technologies in their own lives). What I find harder to do is to get through to people who have given up on the government not eroding what little rights remain, or who are already afriad that the FBI/CIA/NSA/KGB/etc. are already watching their every move. I'm working on a fax to send to congresspersons as a start. I'd like to get local political action groups hip to the issues as well to get the ball rolling in the right direction as well.
participants (3)
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L. McCarthy -
Robert Rothenburg Walking-Owl -
Wei Dai