KQED FM tuesday

[pete@cirrus.com (Pete Carpenter)]

	The reference to a San Francisco radio station may seem a 
bit parochial, but I promise its related...  I just heard a few 
minutes of their 'Forum' program. The topic was local reaction to 
Clinton's visit by spokesmen for SIA and AEA, plus the head of SGI. 
(Semicon Industry Assoc, American Electronics Assoc, Silicon Graphics)

Someone called with concerns about privacy and wide spread use of 
encryption in cyberspace. If he had left it at that, a question 
about privacy, which everyone can grasp, he might have had his 
question answered. I would like to hear what these people had to 
say on this important topic. 

But no, the guy went off into a 'statement' about how the goverment 
wants to interfere with 'digital money', and the moderator cut him off, 
dry. No disscussion - substitute some other question about jobs.

The moral of the story is - KISS! keep it simple, when talking about
these issues to the general public. Privacy in the electronic age is 
something that everyone can understand. And quite a few 'regular' people 
are very much concerned. Offer wide spread public encryption technology 
as a solution to the problem.  

But PLEASE, don't gum up (public) disscussion with esoterica like 
'digital money'.  Most people don't even understand how 'regular' 
money works :-)


Pete Carpenter                           pete@cirrus.com
                                
Talk about your plenty, talk about your ills,
One man gathers what another man spills. - Robert Hunter