IP: Re: EU Legislative Proposal to Outlaw Anonymous E-Mail (via NTK)

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

> X-Sender: jwarren () mail well com
> Date: Fri, 23 Apr 1999 17:56:17 -0700
> To: farber () cis upenn edu
> From: Jim Warren <jwarren () well com>
> Subject: Re: IP: EU Legislative Proposal to Outlaw Anonymous E-Mail (via
> NTK)
>
> > > The Joint Action to combat child pornography on the Internet which is under
> > > discussion in the Council is intended to step up the measures to prevent and
> > > combat the production, processing, distribution and possession of child
> > > pornography and to encourage the detection and prosecution of offences in
> > > this area.
> > >
> > > Amendments include: (g) the sending of anonymous e-mail is prohibited.
>
> 1.  It is really amazing that anyone -- even bureaucrats <grin> -- could
> believe that violators of the long-existant laws against child porn would
> not just-as-quickly violate prohibitions on anonymous email (or postings,
> which remain unmentioned).
>
> 2.  Apparently the European Union has missed the fact that anonymity has
> been invaluable -- perhaps life-saving! -- for those in Serbia and
> Yugoslovia who are sending out "unapproved" information on the net ...
> anonymously.
>
> 3.  Or perhaps the EU is just trying to stop the circulation of radical
> proposals by armed revolutionaries -- such as the FEDERALIST PAPERS ...
> considered the third most-important document in U.S. government.
> (Published anonymously, authorship of many of its individual papers is
> still in dispute.)
>
> 4.  It also flies in the face of the EU's massive self-righteousness about
> protecting personal privacy!  (But consistancy has never been a strong
> point for those in positions of great power.)
>
> --jim; Jim Warren
> Jim Warren, Contributing Editor & columnist, MicroTimes Magazine
> Also GovAccess list-owner/editor; 345 Swett Rd, Woodside CA 94062
>
> [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 InfoWorld; the Computers, Freedom & Privacy Conferences; etc etc etc.]