Create lawvstechnology

lawvstechnology

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+To: cypherpunks@toad.com
+Subject: law vs technology
+From: "Wei Dai" <weidai@eskimo.com>
+Date: Fri, 10 Feb 1995 13:32:02 -0800
+Priority: normal
+Reply-To: weidai@eskimo.com
+Sender: owner-cypherpunks@toad.com
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+
+Recently there's been a great deal of discussion on this list
+about upcoming legislations (HR666 S314 etc.).  Maybe it's time
+to step back a little and look at the bigger picture.  I've
+been assuming (perhaps incorrectly) for some time that most
+cypherpunks hold a belief somewhat like the following:
+
+There has never been a government that didn't sooner or later
+try to reduce the freedom of its subjects and gain more control
+over them, and there probably never will be one.  Therefore,
+instead of trying to convince our current government not to
+try, we'll develop the technology (e.g., remailers and ecash)
+that will make it impossible for the government to succeed.
+Efforts to influence the government (e.g., lobbying and
+propaganda) are important only in so far as to delay its
+attempted crackdown long enough for the technology to mature
+and come into wide use.
+
+But even if you do not believe the above is true, think about
+it this way:  If you have a certain amount of time to spend on
+advancing the cause of greater personal privacy (or freedom, or
+cryptoanarchy, or whatever), can you do it better by using the
+time to learn about cryptography and develop the tools to
+protect privacy, or by convincing your government not to invade
+your privacy?  I argue that since there are many more people
+doing the former (EFF, CPSR, etc) than latter, that you'd be
+more effective if you spent the time on the former.
+
+Wei Dai
+
+
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+E-mail: Wei Dai <weidai@eskimo.com>   URL: "http://www.eskimo.com/~weidai"
+=================== Exponential Increase of Complexity ===================
+--> singularity --> atoms --> macromolecules --> biological evolution
+--> central nervous systems --> symbolic communication --> homo sapiens
+--> digital computers --> internetworking --> close-coupled automation
+--> broadband brain-to-net connections --> artificial intelligence
+--> distributed consciousness --> group minds --> ? ? ?