At 12:48 PM 8/3/02 +0200, Eugen Leitl wrote:

On Sat, 3 Aug 2002, Morlock Elloi wrote:

...

Ah, the computers. Well, those that want computers will have them. They may not be as cheap as today and there will not be as many of them, but I think that all people *I* deal with will have them, so I don't really care.

Sure, people will have computers. However, if we merrily slide down the

slippery slope the authentication might move into the network layer eventually. You will be on the network, yet you will be not on the network.

Yes. As engineers we can design a system, enforced by Law only at the ISP, which makes the network usable only to those using Approved hardware/software. Try it. Then take a bath --the stench does come off. But surely the heavy hand of the Law will be required? No. This can be done with minimal *apparent* police state feeling, by attacking central communication resources. Don't think so? How about CALEA, Carnivore, etc. In the 1984+20 world, you can use your old 56K modem for point to point communications (over the message-neutral POTS) but you can't use your ISP without running Approved 'Secure Fnord Trusted' equiptment. Your ISP's assets will be seized if they route unVerified traffic from their 'subscribers'. This meets the Specs For Gentle Fascism: it requires some plausible tech, and some plausible law. No Stasi needed, just the power of Customs, IRS and business licensing. So you can distribute your xeroxed pamphlets by hand, but you can't mail them because the State runs the post, and controls the private delivery services. Most folks don't notice because they use State-Approved pens which only let them write Approved thoughts and certainly don't let them copy large excerpts of others' prose. Those 'safe' messages are transparently handled by the State post. Its great that Morloch can make pens from quills, and has a horse to carry his letters to his friends ---who have to use homemade, not State approved, candles to read them. But Morloch's consumption of goose feathers has not gone unnoticed... --- \begin{bumpersticker} Keep Your Laws Off My Machine No Stego No Freedom No Shit \end{bumpersticker}