Date: Mon, 4 Jun 2001 11:28:14 -0400 From: freematt@coil.com (Matthew Gaylor) Subject: Freematt On Carnivore To: freematt@coil.com (Matthew Gaylor)
I recently moderated a panel discussion on the Internet and the first amendment with authors James P. Hogan, L. Neil Smith and Victor Milan along with a couple of computer professionals and a university professor thrown in for good measure. During the discussion somebody brought up the persistent topic of Carnivore, the FBI's e-mail snoop system.
From my perspective who ever originally named "Carnivore" should receive an award for picking a name that was sure to engender the most opposition. According to Reuters, Paul Bresson, an FBI spokesman, said, "With upgrades come new names." The old name of a flesh-eating predator had conjured up "unfortunate" images for many people, he added. The FBI has since switched the system name to DCS1000. I would have named it the Millennium Juvenile Guardian. But then again I'm not a jack booted thug which goes along way in explaining how they selected the name "Carnivore" in the first place .
And let's not forget that this system isn't hardwired like it will be in Britain and other nations that don't enjoy as many protections against the state as we do in the 'good ole USA'. At the least the FBI has to make some effort.
As I pointed out to the audience, some of whom were sitting on the floor as every seat was taken, that "carnivore" really only effects a relatively small number of individuals as the bureau only has less than 20 machines in operation. I also wondered out loud what the chances are that an ISP would tell their customers of the added bonus of having "carnivore" installed this month for their safety and convenience. Next to zero I should think.
As I thought of "carnivore" I reflexively mentioned that the real threat doesn't lie with the FBI, but rather with the filtering that goes on in our schools and libraries. Censorware has got to be one of the most Orwellian concepts yet implemented. Not only does the software not work as advertised, but when it does work it frequently filters out information of a political nature. We should take a long hard look at allowing public school teachers and library bureaucrats to decide which thoughts students are "allowed" to think. Whatever happened to free inquiry? As currently set up most filtering applications won't even give students free access to publications as benign and factual as an Encyclopedia. Studets all across the country are being suspended and expelled for engaging in speech, having an unpopular opinion, or drawing a non-state approved item such as a gun in any form.
But as I thought of the Internet in the great scheme of things I didn't and don't find the various governmental snoop programs to be that much of a worry. The Internet is a flood of freedom, and despite the dire warnings and absurd inflations of leviathan power, the Internet has made us more free and given the state less power. And don't forget that you can and should use encryption if you're really worried about prying eyes.
The state now has a real dilemma. They can participate in a global free market economy using the Internet or they can shoot themselves in the head by restricting it's use. Once technology is out of the bag, the genie can't be put back into the bottle, that is unless you want to create a third world nation for yourself.
Regards, Matt-
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