Bill wrote:

However, unlike Echelon, they're probably monitoring only conversations in public spaces, like an extended higher-priced version of Google/DejaNews. There's nothing there you wouldn't be able to find on Blacknet :-)

John Doe Actually, it's used for whatever the client wants: there's nothing in the technology that prevents it from being applied to private e-mail accounts, or searching all the hard drives on a network. About the "no expectation of privacy in a public place" angle: do you really think two people talking solely to each other on IRC expect their throwaway comments to be monitored, logged, and made part of some lame marketing presentation? Once people know the technical capacity is there for that to happen, that's one thing. But otherwise it hardly seems right.

On Sun, Jul 22, 2001 at 05:15:53PM -0400, Faustine wrote:

...

Did you know that NetCurrents, which bills itself as "the Internet's Premiere Intelligence Agency", conducts real-time monitoring of message boards, chatrooms, and IRC channels, logging and producing reports on all occurences of particluar keywords for their clients?

Echelon for the private sector, pure and simple.

On 07/22/2001 - 17:52, Declan McCullagh wrote:

And what we would expect the market to do. If you don't like it, use a nym.

Of course you're right, no one can expect to be handed privacy on a platter. How do you feel about web bugs and cookies--if it's part of the private sector, anything goes? I don't think legislation is the answer--educating people so they can take care of themselves makes sense to me. Hence my two cents about Private- sector Echelon. ~Faustine.