Reason Magazine And Foundation Support Encryption Rights

Matthew Gaylor freematt at coil.com
Tue Oct 16 21:41:36 PDT 2001


I want to thank both Mike Alissi, (malissi at reason.com) Publisher of 
Reason Magazine and David Nott (davidn at reason.org) President, Reason 
Foundation who each sent me a copy of Jacob Sullum's October 16, 2001 
essay "Fear of Prying" <http://www.reason.com/sullum/101601.html>. 
Which I then sent to the subscribers of Freematt's Alerts (10,000+) 
and to several other mailing lists yesterday.

Mr. Sullum writes: "Boston Globe columnist Cathy Young, a colleague 
of mine at Reason magazine, has confessed that "the idea of people 
being able to encrypt electronic communications so that they are 
beyond surveillance" has always seemed "scary" to her, "precisely 
because of the threat of terrorism." This is like saying that 
computers or telephones or airplanes or box cutters are scary. Any 
technology can be used for good or ill. The question is whether the 
potential for evil justifies restrictions on legitimate uses."

And Sullum ends with: "Misuse of official records is not exactly 
unheard of in this country, and the problem would be magnified if 
every unsavory regime that has enlisted in the war on terrorism were 
to be trusted with the keys to its citizens' e-mail. For the 
dissidents Phil Zimmermann is rightly proud of helping, the whole 
point of encryption is to guard against official surveillance."

I was somewhat surprised and disturbed that Reason would publish 
Cathy Young's original article that appeared first in the Boston 
Globe, September 19, 2001 and then on Reason Online 
<http://www.reason.com/cy/cy092401.html>.  I think Freematt's Alerts 
subscriber Charles Platt <cp at panix.com>, the distinguished science 
fiction author and senior writer at WIRED Magazine had the best 
response when he wrote:

"Bad enough that a contributing editor to Reason should indulge in 
the cliche-ridden handwringing of a statist apologist; far worse that 
these less-than-cerebral platitudes should be disseminated via an 
establishment publication, where Ms. Young is liable to be seen as a 
libertarian emissary.

To Cathy Young: All systems entail risk. As has just been 
demonstrated, a government-run system for terrorism-prevention does 
not eliminate risk. It only eliminates the superficial appearance of 
risk. This is far more dangerous than an honest approach in which 
risk is recognized and individuals are encouraged to deal with it 
instead of running to their elected representatives and asking to be 
protected.

"A free society is not a suicide pact"? No, it's a matter of 
principle, and of courage. I really think you should reconsider your 
political affiliations.

--Charles Platt
Senior Writer, Wired magazine"

For better or worse Reason Magazine is viewed as a 
libertarian/freemarket publication. The magazine has in the last 
decade doubled it's circulation to over 60,000 which places it over 
conservative publications such as the Weekly Standard and nearly that 
of the liberal New Republic.  See Columbus Dispatch Metro Columnist 
Steve Stephens's <sstephens at dispatch.com>  October 15, 2001 column 
"The Voice of 'Reason' Lives In Small Ohio Town" where he interviews 
Reason's editor Nick Gillespie <gillespie at reason.com> See: 
<http://libpub.dispatch.com/cgi-bin/documentv1?DBLIST=cd01&DOCNUM=4493 
2&TERMV=31160:11:>

I'm optimistic that Reason won't lose it's way and veer away from 
their libertarian roots and I might add that Jacob Sullum's article 
is a step in the right and libertarian direction.

Regards,  Matt Gaylor-


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