Laws banning anonymity by government employees are foolish
Tim May
tcmay at got.net
Tue Sep 4 15:50:36 PDT 2001
The notion being touted by some, that government officials, employees,
agents, etc. should not be allowed to be anonymous is a bad idea.
If such a law were to be passed, this would be a "feel-good" measure
which would not in fact be enforceable. Whether through cut-outs or
contractors or just plain duplicity, the government would not stop using
such methods.
(This is a separate issue from whether the courts might rule that
entrapment or provocation by undercover agents has limits. The issue of
double agents, Red Squad infiltrations, etc. has been with us for more
than a century. Courts have placed limits on entrapment, a separate
issue from requiring True Names for all government employees.)
I don't think having taxpayer money spent funding agents who go around
infiltrating clubs and social groups and SIGs is a good idea, generally.
But "there ought to be a law" is not likely to be effective.
And it leads to the ostrich syndrome: if we pass a law to make a threat
go away, and we don't see the threat anymore, it must be gone.
-- Tim May
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