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FC: Anonymous web-surfing should be a criminal offense --Dutch MP
From: Declan McCullagh <declan () well com>
Date: Sat, 08 Jan 2000 10:08:47 -0500
********* The original article: http://www.webwereld.nl/nav/n?3300 The English summary written in part by Ted Byfield of nettime, courtesy of Ulf Möller and Axel Horns: http://www.heise.de/tp/english/inhalt/te/5592/1.html "Anonymous web-surfing should be a criminal offense" A Dutch Member of Parliament, Oussama Cherribi, who formerly opposed Scientology by posting its copyrighted documents on his website, came out against anonymity on the net. Without anonymity, the materials that elevated Scientology from a mere wealthy "religious" cult to a butt of net.scorn never would have come to light -- let alone into Cherribi's hands. His outburst was provoked by an announcement by XS4ALL, the venerable Dutch ISP with roots in the "Hacktic" techno-anarchist collective, that it would participate in Zero Knowledge Systems' Freedom Network, a new client-server network for obscuring the activities and identities of netizens as they go about their net.business. The Dutch e-zine _Webwereld_ quoted him as saying, "Anonymous web surfing should be a criminal offense, and unlimited anonymity should become a penal offense." The predictable justification: "It is a matter of the security of the state." We expect many more "official" reactions of this kind to Freedom; but, given the spotty track record of hysterical law-and-order fanatics, we won't regard their criticisms as authoritative recommendations that Freedom really is as good as we would like. ********* -------------------------------------------------------------------------- POLITECH -- the moderated mailing list of politics and technology To subscribe: send a message to majordomo () vorlon mit edu with this text: subscribe politech More information is at http://www.well.com/~declan/politech/ --------------------------------------------------------------------------
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- FC: Anonymous web-surfing should be a criminal offense --Dutch MP Declan McCullagh (Jan 08)