No Privacy Right in Indonesia ?
Cypherpunks assume privacy is a good thing and wish there were more of it. --Welcome to cypherpunks Friend, An 11 17 95 Reuter Information Service newsstory headlined Politics, not sex, is Indonesian Internet's concern reports that In Indonesia, the quiet Internet revolution has not gone un- noticed by the armed forces. Here are more excerpts from the newsstory: Armed forces spokesman Brigadier-General Surwarno Adi- wijoyo told Reuters the military had suggested to the com- munications ministry the need for some sort of "toll gate" to "black out" news which could damage culture or affect security. It has also suggested registering uses and users, he said. ...nobody doubts the military is watching. Activists in Indonesia who use the Internet say it is a power- ful tool for distributing information in a society where self- censorship abounds, newspapers are tightly controlled, jour- nalists are jailed and unlicensed magazines banned. Internet users doubt the Indonesian government can legis- late or control the Internet, short of pulling the plug on the nation's soon-to-be-privatised phone system. Please note that the expression "legislate or control" means control by either fraud or force, whichever the military finds most convenient. If the military does one day pull the plug, will that validate or invalidate the statement in the "Welcome to cypherpunks" document-- Cypherpunks know that a widely dispersed system can't be shut down. A tangential answer is supplied by Indonesian activists: Despite the technical and administrative hurdles with cen- soring an increasingly large volume and web of contacts, Internet users point out such a scheme [of censorship, not plug-pulling] would not stop the increasing distribution of material within the country. For there are private as well as commercial networks in the country. Commercial providers' estimates suggest there are around 10,000 registered local users, with popularity of the Internet growing among Indonesia's technological and edu- cated elite.... Please note the expression "registered local users," and re- call the military's suggested registering [of] uses and users Uses? Perhaps that means those nominally private networks. Cypherpunks hope that all people desiring privacy will learn how best to defend it. --Welcome to cypherpunks Cordially, Jim NOTE. NandO News, which posted the above newsstory, can be accessed at: http://www.nando.net The story's online filename is: info733_8.html It's datelined: JAKARTA (Nov 16, 1995 - 01:06 EST)
An 11 17 95 Reuter Information Service newsstory headlined
Politics, not sex, is Indonesian Internet's concern
Absolutely. We designed it this way. One of the key ideas was to provide such governments with a choice between having their power structures erroded by democratic influences or to sink into technological obsolecence. The US govt. stands to do best from all this. Democratic govt.s in general will win. Those that will lose are those which attempt to stamp a political or cultural orthodoxy on their people. Communication is the greatest threat to tyranny. That is why all tyrannies must control communications. It is worth considering that when Stalin died he was considered the saviour of the country, even by those who should have known the truth. It was only afte Kruschev's speech to the closed session that the truth became known inside the party. Note that even those who were the victims of the oppression had believed that Stalin was a hero. "It is a mistake", "if only Stalin knew" yet Stalin knew all along and this was obvious to the outside observer. East Germany fell when the size of the defections became known within the country. It was clear that the regime was bankrupt and that people were voting with their feet. Cuba will not be brought down by sanctions, that policy has failed for thirty years and shows no signs of achieving anything. On the other hand the communist structures would probably be sewpt away in months were the US to admit defeat (thus acknowledging the Cuban peoples "victory") and start package tourist flights. Once it was in the interests of the nomenclatura to become capitalists they would change. South Africa was not brought down by sanctions per se, they had an effect because they demonstrated that the Western world did not accept the appartheid principles. South Africa tried to see itself as a part of the West and that was crucial to the apartheid mindset. Sanctions demonstrated that South Africa was not considered a friend or aly. Phill
participants (2)
-
hallam＠w3.org -
James M. Cobb