Re: rant on the morality of confidentiality

[David Honig <honig@otc.net>]

At 05:09 AM 1/8/98 -0800, Jim Gillogly wrote:
>Vladimir Z. Nuri wrote:
>> scientists who agree to government secrecy to develop
>> their inventions are agreeing to a lot more than
>> mere secrecy. they are committing to a paradigm that
>> is at odds with science itself, which only advances through
>> the open literature.
>
>Why limit your annoyance to government scientists?  Scientists
>in private industry are in the same position, developing (e.g.)
>algorithms and analytical methods protected by trade secrets.
>Society recognizes this tendency and tries to advance science
>anyway by offering patent protection.  You don't make money by
>giving away your intellectual capital.  Seems to me that schools
>and independently wealthy scientists/foundations are the only
>ones who don't merit your censure on this count.
>-- 


Nuri was obviously going through the angst of realizing responsibility
as a creative technologist.

You are adding antibusiness sentiments to this.

The fact is, you choose who/what you work on.  And face it, many government
scientists think they're wearing white hats.  As do those in industry and
academia, as well as the independant investigator.

The British scientist reporting on his discovery of PK was not *bitter* that 
others found it too.  He was explaining the secretive context of its
development in one closed shop.  He undoubtably thinks his work was Good.
It is only some readers who are thinking that the Brit is trying to usurp
something.  He's not.

I thought the Brit's explanation was helpful for understanding PK beyond the 
confusing complexity of the RSA-implementation of it.  It does not detract
from
the efforts (or patents) of anyone, that PK has been discovered multiple
times.


------------------------------------------------------------
      David Honig                   Orbit Technology
     honig@otc.net                  Intaanetto Jigyoubu

	"How do you know you are not being deceived?" 
	---A Compendium of Analytic TradeCraft Notes, 
	Directorate of Intelligence, CIA