Shrinks as Narcs for the State

[Tim May <tcmay@got.net>]

At 2:14 PM -0700 8/28/97, Sean Roach wrote:

>Although I deleted it for space, you mentioned Doctors.  A lot of people are
>afraid to tell thier doctors everything that the doctors need to know to do
>thier jobs because the patients are afraid that, as illegal as it may be,
>the patients medical history may end up in the hands of insurers, employers,
>prospective employers, and numerous other people who may want it but
>shouldn't have it.
>

I know a psychologist/therapist who is very worried about this issue, as
are his associates. His records are no longer his, as he must inform the
insurance agencies who are paying for his services what the diagnosis of a
patient is. And this diagnosis can be found by all sorts of snoops...there
have even been a few cases where the records inadvertently were placed in
directories where Web crawlers could find them.

And with Blacknet sorts of offshore data bases, a CD-ROM or DVD containing
many records can be bought and sold...

Further, those who visit doctors and shrinks are at risk for other reasons.
The State has decreed that they "narc out" (inform on) their patients. Cf.
Tarasoff, for example, which requires a mental health care professional,
counselor, or doctor to inform the State if a client makes certain kinds of
threats. This threat may cause the client to be locked up for observation.

(Many think this is as it should be. But why is this so? We don't require
non-doctors and non-shrinks to report such threats. If Joe Cypherpunk tells
me at a Cypherpunks meeting he thinks Janet Reno should be blown up on her
September 7th visit to San Jose, I am under no obligation whatsoever to
assist the police in verifying what his real intentions are, or of
cooperating in any way. So why should a psychiatrist become a secret agent
for the State? We live in a police state.)


--Tim May



There's something wrong when I'm a felon under an increasing number of laws.
Only one response to the key grabbers is warranted: "Death to Tyrants!"
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Timothy C. May              | Crypto Anarchy: encryption, digital money,
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