plumbers coming down the pipe

[Paul Vixie <vixie () vix com>]

> > I guess the big question is, is there anyone (other than those 
> > profiting directly from CWS) that would complain if a provider were to 
> > do such a thing...
> ...
> It's the old: "I don't want some plumber deciding what can come down my 
> pipe" argument.

that analogy won't stretch to fit the situation of internet services.  for
one thing, plumbers aren't the same as water companies.  for another, the
water company is responsible for what i receive, but only the sewage
company is responsible for what i send.  i think that at a minimum, we need
better analogies, or we need to learn how to talk about this subject without
using analogies.

i suppose that from the malfeasant's point of view, the current internet
economic and irresponsibility model is scaling just fine.  people who want
to do bad things can keep on doing them, and profitting from them.  people
who want to supply the services necessary for these bad things can keep
doing so, and keep profitting from them.  people who would need to take
some kind of responsibility or action in order to prevent this activity
don't want to be seen taking any responsibility or action, supposedly out
of fear that they'll be held liable for everything they DIDN'T stop.

it strikes me that the case for revolution is largely a cost:benefit
analysis, and that we're headed for a timespace where some very radical
solutions are actually cheaper than the status quo.  (i say this even
while considering the MAPS RBL as fundamentally in-band and non-radical
for its time.)
-- 
Paul Vixie