Crime and punishment in cyberspace - 2 of 3

[rishab@dxm.ernet.in]

The way police can help protect against murders is to patrol the streets.
The way police can help identify fraud on cyberspace is Clipper.

If you demand protection from society against cyberspace fraud, you accept
society's right to violate someone's privacy. You have to also accept their
right to violate _yours_.

Just as in brickspace (I'm getting sick of calling it the 'real world') you
try to protect yourself, _first_, and when it is socially recognized as not
possible or very difficult, the police comes in...
   Are you going to expect the police to protect you against rude language?
   No, you protect yourself by ignoring it.
   Are you going to expect the police to protect you against broken promises?
   No, it's your own failed judgement, or luck. Or you'd have a formal contract.
   Are you going to expect the police to protect you against terrorist bombs?
   I would; that's a full-time job that I'm paying them for.

In cyberspace too, where you can protect yourself with available tools - 
encryption, authentication and the other protocols we discuss here, you should
not expect police help. You should _refuse_ it. Alternatively, you should give
them the power to help you; the power to listen in to 'criminals'; the power
to identify conspiracies through communication route tracing. Sounds familiar?

Continued... (so that those who look for interesting matter in the first para 
don't ignore this ;)

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Rishab Aiyer Ghosh                                    They came for the Jews,
                                    and I was silent because I was not a Jew;
rishab@dxm.ernet.in                        They came for the Trade Unionists,
                                     and I did not protest, because I did not
Voice/Fax/Data +91 11 6853410                        belong to a trade union;
Voicemail +91 11 3760335      They came for the Catholics, and I said nothing
                                                because I was not a Catholic;
H 34C Saket                                        And then they came for me.
New Delhi                            There was no one left to say anything...
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