Another bad idea

["Deranged Mutant" <WlkngOwl@unix.asb.com>]

On  9 Jul 96 at 18:26, E. ALLEN SMITH wrote:
[..]
> 	Like China, various other countries are trying to get the Internet's
> benefits (such as technical information) without its other consequences
> (extension of civil liberties into countries that want to deny them). One idea
> that I've had for preventing such problems is to look for addresses from such
> countries that are posting to technical newsgroups, to technical mailing lists,
> or that are attempting to get access to web pages on technical subjects (which
> access they will hopefully be denied, although an alternate possibility). Then
> mail information to those addresses that those countries don't want getting
> into their countries, such as on human rights abuses (or well-written
> pornography...). One interesting (and somewhat cypherpunk) matter in this is

Great idea. Get some (possibly) innocent techie in an oppressive 
country thrown in jail or executed.  Or perhaps s/he gets offended, 
contributing to the notion that all Westerners are evil perverts 
out to corrupt them.
[..]
> 	An extension of this for web sites, which I understand as possible
> but difficult, would be to swap anyone from such a country trying to get access
> to a technical web site to instead receive "subversive" information or
> pictures. (The pornography mentioned above would probably be more effective in
> picture format; other pictures might include information on human rights
> abuses).

Damn aggrevating for that user, and it could get him/her in trouble.

On a wide-scale it could provoke responses from those countries.  
Imagine this list being bombarded with propaganda, or perhaps 
somebody here looking at an anti-censorship web page getting 
pro-censorship messages from religious fundamentalists.

Or it could encourage them to use special firewalls which filter 
content and disallow graphics... (probably many US-based companies 
would be all-too-happy to sell them the software to do it), or even 
close themselves off from the Internet altogether, perhaps form 
separate, unconnected Family/Islamic/Chinese-values networks.

Rob



 
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