IP: Re: Canadian Court Order on Anonymity

[Dave Farber <farber () cis upenn edu>]

Date: Sat, 11 Jul 1998 17:51:22 -0800
To: farber () cis upenn edu
From: Jim Warren <jwarren () well com>


Dave --


Several years ago, a Canadian commission on Internet policies strongly
recommended that Canada prohibit anonymous postings.  While at first
glance, it seems desirable to be able to trace the identity of all [legal]
messages, it has some unexpected ramifications.


Among other things (for instance), prohibiting anonymous posting  will
silence Chinese dissidents who have escaped to Canada -- and elsewhere --
who dare speak out to the world and to their country[wo]men via the
Internet *only* as long as their identity is hidden, lest Chinese
authorities retaliate against family members still in China.


For that matter, it will also prohibit posting of the FEDERALIST PAPERS --
the third most basic document in American government, since all of its
papers were authored under still-unknown pen-names.  But perhaps some
Canadians would *prefer* suppression of pro-federalist advocacy.  ;-)


--jim; jwarren () well com
Jim Warren, sometime columnist, political irritant, hedonist wannabe
Also GovAccess list-owner/editor
  345 Swett Rd., Woodside CA 94062
  voice/650-851-7075; fax-for-the-quaint/650-851-2814


[self-inflating puff: Hugh Hefner First-Amendment Award, Playboy Foundation;
Electronic Frontier Foundation Pioneer Award (in its first year);
James Madison Freedom-of-Information Award, Soc.of Prof.Journalists-Nor.Calif
founded the Computers, Freedom & Privacy Conferences; blah blah blah <grin>]