Re: Singularity: can't happen here

From: Charlie Stross (charlie@antipope.org)
Date: Mon Sep 10 2001 - 14:40:50 MDT


On Mon, Sep 10, 2001 at 06:50:33PM +0200, Eugene Leitl wrote:
>
> On Mon, 10 Sep 2001, Christian Szegedy wrote:
>
> > I am completely sure that this menace can not be fought by technical
> > means such as secure distributed networks and underground hacking. Our
>
> You're completely, positively, absolutely sure? Wow. It is sure nice to
> wake up in the morning to an universe of perfect certainties.
 
I fear that Christian is right. My reason: network externalities assist
whichever side has the biggest user base and handicap the side that has
fewer. If people are afraid of using secure/concealed communications
tools because they're illegal, the user base will be intrinsically smaller
than the controlled play-pen the authorities allow them. Because it's
smaller it will, paradoxically, be less useful ... therefore ultimately
less attractive.

All they have to do is put people off using the proscribed technologies
by convincing them that they're illegal and bad things can happen to people
who use them, and they've won.

-- Charlie



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