Re: Brin on Privacy

Michael Lorrey (retroman@tpk.net)
Sun, 22 Dec 1996 23:13:05 -0500


Mark Grant wrote:
>
> On Fri, 20 Dec 1996, Michael Lorrey wrote:
>
> > Thats the easy part. Have a reverse PGP encoding on the time/date and
> > sumcheck information.
>
> PGP signature you mean... anyway, that won't work because someone could
> just reset the recorder's clock and sign the false video, or break into
> the recorder and steal the secret key. Finally, they could just feed
> computer-generated or pre-recorded video straight into the recorder.
>
> > As long as this rule is applied
> > rigorously, a totally open and totally free society can exist. When it
> > does not, freedom does not.
>
> Yet from what you've said above, your society would only allow you freedom
> of thought because you'd lose any freedom to act in an unapproved manner.
> I'd hardly call that "totally free".
>

For starters, observation is NOT repression. Reaction to action based on
observation is repression. Ask any stripper if she feels repressed by
the guys watching her (or him). How action of any kind is adjudicated is
a completely different issue, and the real target of your political
insecurity, not that it can be observed.

THe need for privacy is psychologically a reaction to outside
repression. A repression free society would feel no need for privacy.
Not that nobody would have a need for privacy, but that the thought by
individuals that they themselves would need privacy would not occur.
because they have always been treated innocently, they would live in a
natural state of innocence. it would truly be heaven on earth, as
everyone would live angelically.

of course such a state of cultural purity and innocence is in my view,
well nigh impossible from the point at which we are now at unless:

1) You start it on another planet with people prescreened and pretrained
to live so.

2) You could do it here, but you must form a one world government with
total control in the hands of a group the existence of which is unknown
to all others. I.e. you need perfect thought control. Such a regieme
must be in control long enough for the ingrained insanity of our privacy
crazed world to die out with the help of active negative feedback.

While I see a thin possibility for the first, the second is in my mind
impossible, and to attempt to do so thoroughly evil. You would wind up
hurting more people than you help.

-- 
TANSTAAFL!!!

Michael Lorrey --------------------------------------------------------- President retroman@tpk.net Northstar Technologies Agent Lorrey@ThePentagon.com Inventor of the Lorrey Drive Silo_1013@ThePentagon.com http://www.tpk.net/~retroman/ --------------------------------------------------------- Inventor, Webmaster, Ski Guide, Entrepreneur, Artist, Outdoorsman, Libertarian, Certified Genius.