IP: The Big Picture?

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

> Date: Tue, 18 Sep 2001 10:56:24 -0700 (PDT)
> From: Lauren Weinstein <lauren () vortex com>
> To: dave () farber net
> Subject: The Big Picture?
> Cc: lauren () pfir org
>
>
>         "You will say you lose your freedom.  Freedom is an illusion.
>          All you lose is the emotion of pride."
>                           -- Colossus
>                              "Colossus: The Forbin Project" (1970)
>
>         "There seems to be a definite pattern emerging."
>                           -- The Psychiatrist (G. Wood)
>                              "Harold and Maude" (1971)
>
>
> An interesting pattern does seem to be emerging.  I do not suggest that it's
> the result of a conspiracy, but rather the result of long-term trends that
> have been self-reinforcing.  Still, like the images in a kaleidoscope,
> complex-appearing structures can seem to easily appear from independent
> actions.
>
> We start with media consolidation on a grand scale.  The range of
> content providers and distribution operations -- TV, cable, newspapers,
> magazine, Internet, and so on, are primarily in the hands of a tiny
> cadre of gigantic firms.  This consolidation seems likely to continue
> to even more intense levels.
>
> Such concentration of media power provides the ability to present a highly
> unified message both to the population at large and to Congress through
> lobbyists.  A slogan like CNN's "America's New War" can be applied across a
> range of related properties and environments, instead of merely being
> sandwiched between "EnerX" commercials.
>
> Next step: Institute a mindset and legal structure that marginalizes all
> rights to information except those of copyright holders (most of the
> widely-used content will be under the control of those few media
> conglomerates we discussed above, of course).  The Digital Millennium
> Copyright Act (DMCA) helps enormously at this stage to accomplish
> this goal.  Send violators to prison along with the rapists, murderers,
> and terrorists.  Finally, a way to fill those jail cells being
> emptied out in California from the new "treat drug offenders rather
> than jail them" program.
>
> Gotta keep the momentum going.  Outlaw the sale or providing of *everything*
> --hardware, software, communications, impure thoughts, or what have you--
> relating to digital technologies that cannot be directly controlled by those
> concentrated media forces.  The SSSCA (Security Systems Standards and
> Certification Act) should do nicely.  To sweeten the deal, point out that
> since only SSSCA-approved security systems would be legal, it could provide
> a dandy mechanism to make the use of strong encryption in the private sector
> illicit.  All that's needed is to ensure that such strong crypto systems are
> not compatible with the SSSCA-approved mechanisms (or refuse to certify
> anything that contains those undesirable systems).  The approved security
> system will of course contain the appropriate backdoors for data access by
> the powers-that-be (and sufficiently resourceful hackers).  The level of
> civil disobedience likely to result will probably be the highest since
> prohibition, but hey, prohibition didn't have any nasty side-effects that
> weren't trivial to control, right?
>
> And to tie this all up in a nice neat bow, be ready to take advantage of any
> catastrophe, tragedy, or horror to assert your agenda while emotions run
> high and knee-jerk reactions are the order of the day.
>
> Voila!  Mission accomplished.
>
> --Lauren--
> Lauren Weinstein
> lauren () pfir org or lauren () vortex com or lauren () privacyforum org
> Tel: +1 (818) 225-2800
> Co-Founder, PFIR - People For Internet Responsibility - http://www.pfir.org
> Moderator, PRIVACY Forum - http://www.vortex.com
> Member, ACM Committee on Computers and Public Policy
> "Reality Reset" Columns - http://www.vortex.com/reality



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