Re: SSSCA: We're in trouble now

[Jurgen Botz]

Thomas Hood wrote:
> The problem is that copy-protection will only be effective
> if you impose Soviet style restrictions on the use of computers.
> 
> Certain powerful corporations want effective copy-protection.
> Ergo, those powerful corporations will want to impose Soviet
> style restrictions on the use of computers.

I think Thomas is absolutely right about this, and for now it would
seem likely that this will eventually fail if for no other reason
than that many other powerful corporations, who have little direct
interest in consumer media content protection, would find such Soviet
style restrictions an extreme inconvenience.  Powerful as the media
companies may be, ultimately they are still small compared to oil,
finance, or the heavy industries.

Not that I think we should rely on or wait for any corporations whose
interests happen to be coincidentally aligned with those of private
citizens... we need to also take action as citizens to halt this
rapid descent into a new information dark age.  But it as part of
this action we should try to mobilize corporate interests who
are likely to be on our side... they might move too slowly otherwise
as it takes them a while to wake up to these kinds of threats to 
their self-interest when they haven't yet visibly hit their bottom
line.

:j

-- 
Jürgen Botz                       | While differing widely in the various
[e-mail]                   | little bits we know, in our infinite
                                  | ignorance we are all equal. -Karl Popper