On 9 Jul 96 at 18:26, E. ALLEN SMITH wrote: [..]

Like China, various other countries are trying to get the Internet's benefits (such as technical information) without its other consequences (extension of civil liberties into countries that want to deny them). One idea that I've had for preventing such problems is to look for addresses from such countries that are posting to technical newsgroups, to technical mailing lists, or that are attempting to get access to web pages on technical subjects (which access they will hopefully be denied, although an alternate possibility). Then mail information to those addresses that those countries don't want getting into their countries, such as on human rights abuses (or well-written pornography...). One interesting (and somewhat cypherpunk) matter in this is

Great idea. Get some (possibly) innocent techie in an oppressive country thrown in jail or executed. Or perhaps s/he gets offended, contributing to the notion that all Westerners are evil perverts out to corrupt them. [..]

An extension of this for web sites, which I understand as possible but difficult, would be to swap anyone from such a country trying to get access to a technical web site to instead receive "subversive" information or pictures. (The pornography mentioned above would probably be more effective in picture format; other pictures might include information on human rights abuses).

Damn aggrevating for that user, and it could get him/her in trouble. On a wide-scale it could provoke responses from those countries. Imagine this list being bombarded with propaganda, or perhaps somebody here looking at an anti-censorship web page getting pro-censorship messages from religious fundamentalists. Or it could encourage them to use special firewalls which filter content and disallow graphics... (probably many US-based companies would be all-too-happy to sell them the software to do it), or even close themselves off from the Internet altogether, perhaps form separate, unconnected Family/Islamic/Chinese-values networks. Rob --- No-frills sig. Befriend my mail filter by sending a message with the subject "send help" Key-ID: 5D3F2E99 1996/04/22 wlkngowl@unix.asb.com (root@magneto) AB1F4831 1993/05/10 Deranged Mutant <wlkngowl@unix.asb.com> Send a message with the subject "send pgp-key" for a copy of my key.