No Privacy Right in Indonesia ?

["James M. Cobb" <jcobb@ahcbsd1.ovnet.com>]

                      Cypherpunks assume privacy is a good thing 
                      and wish there were more of it. 
 
                                        --Welcome to cypherpunks 

 
Friend, 
 
 
An 11 17 95 Reuter Information Service newsstory headlined 
 
     Politics, not sex, is Indonesian Internet's concern 
 
reports that 
 
   In Indonesia, the quiet Internet revolution has not gone un- 
   noticed by the armed forces. 
 
Here are more excerpts from the newsstory: 
 
   Armed forces spokesman Brigadier-General Surwarno Adi- 
   wijoyo told Reuters the military had suggested to the com- 
   munications ministry the need for some sort of "toll gate" 
   to "black out" news which could damage culture or affect 
   security. 
 
   It has also suggested registering uses and users, he said. 
 
   ...nobody doubts the military is watching. 
 
   Activists in Indonesia who use the Internet say it is a power- 
   ful tool for distributing information in a society where self- 
   censorship abounds, newspapers are tightly controlled, jour- 
   nalists are jailed and unlicensed magazines banned. 
 
   Internet users doubt the Indonesian government can legis- 
   late or control the Internet, short of pulling the plug on the 
   nation's soon-to-be-privatised phone system. 
 
Please note that the expression "legislate or control" means 
control by either fraud or force, whichever the military finds 
most convenient. 
 
If the military does one day pull the plug, will that validate or 
invalidate the statement in the "Welcome to cypherpunks" document-- 
 
     Cypherpunks know that a widely dispersed system can't 
     be shut down. 
 
A tangential answer is supplied by Indonesian activists: 
 
   Despite the technical and administrative hurdles with cen- 
   soring an increasingly large volume and web of contacts, 
   Internet users point out such a scheme [of censorship, 
   not plug-pulling] would not stop the increasing distribution 
   of material within the country. 
 
For there are private as well as commercial networks in the 
country. 
 
   Commercial providers' estimates suggest there are around 
   10,000 registered local users, with popularity of the 
   Internet growing among Indonesia's technological and edu- 
   cated elite.... 
 
Please note the expression "registered local users," and re- 
call the military's 
 
         suggested registering [of] uses and users 
 
 
Uses?  Perhaps that means those nominally private networks. 

 
 
             Cypherpunks hope that all people desiring privacy 
             will learn how best to defend it. 
 
                                      --Welcome to cypherpunks 
 
 
Cordially, 
 
Jim 
 
 
 
NOTE.   NandO News, which posted the above newsstory, 
        can be accessed at: 
 
                       http://www.nando.net 
 
        The story's online filename is: 
 
                          info733_8.html 
 
        It's datelined: 
 
                 JAKARTA (Nov 16, 1995 - 01:06 EST)