"Internet II" and Clinton

Blanc Weber blancw at microsoft.com
Fri Oct 11 21:21:31 PDT 1996


From:	Timothy C. May

* a government attempt to reassert some sort of control over the
Internet,
a la the "we paid for the Arpanet, so we can control what it's used
for."
................................................................


That's also what I've been thinking about, regarding the efforts to get
all the schools wired.   "It's our project and we can control it if we
want to."   I could almost paranoically get cause & effect confused,
thinking that the program for free internet access is merely an excuse
for assuming the control over the internet that the governors are
aspiring to achieve, rather than it being merely a contingent
consequence of their involvement with it.    

I deplore the fact that so many people are lured into signing up for
internet access ( Hurry, Hurry, you don't know what you're missing on
Usenet!!!) without being mentally prepared for what they can expect to
see there.   Then they must suffer the shock of realization of what is
available, free & uninhibited.   (Ooops.   "They didn't tell us about
*that* stuff being there, (whine) take it way!")   

But you just have to know that, once the governors decide to become the
Determining Factor in setting up everyone for internet access, they will
also become the determining factor in what everyone gets to see, and
therefore gets to post or send through the channels.

   ..
Blanc








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