SAN FRANCISCO EDITORIAL

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                          SANDY SANDFORT
 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

C'punks,

Here is a guest editorial that ran in Monday's SF Chronicle.  It
should make your blood boil.


 S a n d y

			*	*	*

             ANARCHY, CHAOS ON THE INTERNET MUST END

Elections are over, and for better or worse, recognized leadership is
installed and working in most places.  Yet, in Cyberspace the electronic
world dominated by the much-vaunted Internet, there is not much order. 
This huge international computer web tying together about 30 million
people is governed by no one. 

What an amazing state of affairs.  The most powerful communications medium
ever invented is being left to the equivalent of mob rule.  Last year was
the year of the Internet in the media.  Clearly it is now mainstream. 
Nonetheless, judging by what you read or hear, the key question of who
runs it is not even an issue.  It is more fun, after all, to contemplate
shopping in an electronic mall or how to order a pizza through a modem. 

No matter, if you scratch the surface of this big, happy party, the need
for firm direction is all too obvious.  Also reported in the press is an
expanding array of Internet problems.  Unregulated broadcasting of
sexually explicit material that is readily available to children usually
heads the list, but on-line sexual harassment, profanity, defamation,
forgery and fraud run close seconds. 

The secretiveness that computer communications allows is a special reason
why abuse is easy.  National and personal security are serious
considerations when anyone can, with complete anonymity, send encrypted
information worldwide via the Internet.  Such problems are further
exacerbated by a computer located in Finland called the Anonymous Server,
which exists for the sole purpose of laundering computer messages, much
like dirty money is laundered through small island nations.  Consequently,
if you want to, say, threaten someone with death, your risk of retribution
is small, courtesy of the Anonymous Server. 

Nowhere are Cyberspace difficulties more evident than in the inevitable
swing toward Internet commercialization.  The widely reported turf war
rages between academic factions that controlled the Internet before it
went public and business newcomers who now want access to its huge
audience.  Electronic attacks on business people by means ranging from
computer insults, called flames, to assorted forms of electronic
vandalism, persist uncontrolled.  Worst of all are the ``canceller
robots,'' computer programs meant to erase the communications of anyone
the hackers who usually launch them wish to silence. 

These self-styled vigilantes routinely challenge free speech in Cyberspace
unabated.  Internet access providers, companies that connect people to the
Internet for a profit, likewise assume the role of censors, arbitrarily
closing accounts of those whom they disapprove. 

Given its international nature, one obvious way to bring much needed order
to the Internet is through diplomacy.  The United States should lead in
this.  A good beginning might be to urge the Finnish government to
deactivate the Anonymous Server.  Diplomacy could also help to establish
an international standard of recognizing laws existing at the point of
origin as controlling the message sender. 

When conflicts arise, governmental diplomacy should again be the answer,
just as it is with other trade and communications issues.  Next, laws
already regulating behavior in the real world should be applied in
Cyberspace.  This is already taking place on a case-by-case basis, but the
process is too slow.  The Supreme Court should act to crate a precedent
stating that crime is crime, even when the criminal instrument is a
computer keyboard. 

In the United States, legislation should be passed making Internet access
providers common carriers.  This will get them out of the business of
censorship and under the guiding hand of the Federal Communications
commission. 

People need safety and order in Cyberspace just as they do in their homes
and on the streets.  The current state of the Internet makes it clear that
anarchy isn't working.  If recognized governments don't find a way to
bring order to the growing and changing Internet, chaos may soon dictate
that the party is over. 

----------

Martha S. Siegel is the author of ``How to Make a Fortune on the
Information Superhighway'' and CEO of Cybersell in Scottsdale, Ariz. 

			*	*	*

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In article <Pine.SUN.3.91.950103102549.18076G-100000@crl.crl.com> sandfort@crl.com (Sandy Sandfort) writes:
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>
>C'punks,
>
>Here is a guest editorial that ran in Monday's SF Chronicle.  It
>should make your blood boil.

Is anyone going to write rebuttals?  Would the SF Chronicle print them?  As
I read this, I only saw the following propaganda:

>             ANARCHY, CHAOS ON THE INTERNET MUST END

in Cyberspace, there is not much order. It is governed by no one.
... being left to the equivalent of mob rule.
the need for firm direction is all too obvious.
... unregulated broadcasting ..., sexual harassment, profanity, defamation,
forgery and fraud ... secretiveness is why abuse is easy.
problems are further exacerbated by Anonymous Server, which launders
computer messages, like money is laundered.
... difficulties in commercialization.
turf war rages between factions ...
attacks on business people ... vandalism, persist uncontrolled.
Worst of all are the ``canceller robots,'' ... the communications
the hackers wish to silence.
vigilantes routinely challenge free speech unabated ...
access providers, assume the role of censors, arbitrarily
closing accounts of those whom they disapprove.
one obvious way to bring much needed order, is through diplomacy.
The United States should lead in this.
... urge the Finnish government to deactivate the Anonymous Server.
establish a standard of recognizing laws existing at the point of
origin as controlling the message sender.
When conflicts arise, governmental diplomacy should again be the answer,
just as it is with other trade and communications issues.  Next, laws
already regulating behavior in the real world should be applied in
Cyberspace.  The Supreme Court should act ...  stating that crime is
crime, even when the criminal instrument is a computer keyboard.
legislation should be passed making access providers common carriers.
This will get them and under the guiding hand of the FCC ...
People need safety and order in Cyberspace just as they do in their homes
and on the streets.
The current state makes it clear that anarchy isn't working.
If governments don't bring order, chaos may soon dictate.


!@&^%&^!%@&$^%&^@%$&^!@$  I wish I could write worth beans.  I have never
been publish in any newspaper, anywhere.  They never like my rebuttals.  I
guess I get too rabid when I write.

- ---------------------------------------------------------|
| #include "std/disclaimer.h"     Michael P. Brininstool |
| mikepb@freke.lerctr.org      OR      mikepb@netcom.com |
|---------------------------------------------------------

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The author of this editorial is the Siegel of Cantor and Siegel fame, 
nicht wahr?

Perhaps someone with detailed knowledge of that brouhaha should write the 
Examiner and point out that they allowed their editorial page to be used 
for ex parte pleading by one of the worst offenders in the history of the 
Internet -- and without informing their readers they were doing so.

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Despite the odiousness of the source, might it be a Good Thing to get
a law giving ISPs common-carrier status passed? 

When you're a common carrier, no one hassles you about the content you
pass-- this would make it much easier for anon remailers to flourish.

- -Paul

- -- 
Paul Robichaux, KD4JZG       | Good software engineering doesn't reduce the 
perobich@ingr.com            | amount of work you put into a product; it just 
Not speaking for Intergraph. | redistributes it differently.
		  ### http://www.intergraph.com ###

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In list.cypherpunks, perobich@ingr.com writes:

> Despite the odiousness of the source, might it be a Good Thing to get
> a law giving ISPs common-carrier status passed? 
> 
> When you're a common carrier, no one hassles you about the content you
> pass-- this would make it much easier for anon remailers to flourish.

I can't speak for ISPs in general, but when I still ran a public-access
system, the absolute last thing I wanted was to be thought of as a
common carrier.  While common carriers are held blameless for the
content of traffic they pass, they are also heavily regulated.  In
general, a common carrier may not refuse to provide services unless
special circumstances exist.  Want to bet Usenet abuse won't be one of
those circumstances?  Spammers would love such a state of affairs.  (and
remember who wrote that whine)

I'm for keeping regulation out of the Inet whenever and wherever
possible.
- -- 
       Roy M. Silvernail         [ ]  roy@cybrspc.mn.org
                    PGP public key available by mail
     echo /get /pub/pubkey.asc | mail file-request@cybrspc.mn.org
         These are, of course, my opinions (and my machines)

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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                          SANDY SANDFORT
 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

C'punks,

On Tue, 3 Jan 1995, Charles Bell and several others wrote along
these lines:

> The author of this editorial is the Siegel of Cantor and Siegel fame, 
> nicht wahr?
> 
> Perhaps someone with detailed knowledge of that brouhaha should write the 
> Examiner and point out that they allowed their editorial page to be used 
> for ex parte pleading by one of the worst offenders in the history of the 
> Internet -- and without informing their readers they were doing so.

Gosh, my education seems to be remiss with regard to the case/
incidents referred to.  Could someone let us know who this person
is and what her claim to fame is?  (It certainly isn't her logic
or writing ability.)


 S a n d y

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sandy Sandfort says:
> Gosh, my education seems to be remiss with regard to the case/
> incidents referred to.  Could someone let us know who this person
> is and what her claim to fame is?  (It certainly isn't her logic
> or writing ability.)

Martha is a de facto disbarred attorney, who, along with her equally
slimey hubby, also a de facto disbarred attorney (both resigned from
the Florida bar for ethical violations rather than be disbarred),
began posting to every group on Usenet a scummy ad explaining that if
people would only pay them a bunch of money they would file entries
into last years green card lottery for their clients, who, of course,
could have simply sent their letters in on their own for free. The net
reacted rather violently to their spamming, because unlike most
rational individuals they contended that they were doing something
perfectly decent and honest. People stopped them in the long run by
rigging up cancelbots to administer the Usenet death penalty to them.

No one would be giving them a shred of respect, except for the fact
that a certain New York Times reporter named Peter Lewis appeared to
miss the point in certain articles he published about the incident.

Perry

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                          SANDY SANDFORT
 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

C'punks,

Oh, THAT Cantor and Seigle.  If someone with the facts (Perry?)
is so inclined, a letter to the editor would be in order.  These
scum bags need to be exposed.  The address is:

			San Francisco Chronicle
			5th and Mission
			San Francisco, CA 94103


 S a n d y

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sandy Sandfort writes (quoting SF Chronicle article):

  [ Much bs elided ]

> Martha S. Siegel is the author of ``How to Make a Fortune on the
> Information Superhighway'' and CEO of Cybersell in Scottsdale, Ariz. 

Isn't this the Siegel of the infamous "Canter and Siegel"?


-- Jeff

On Tue, 3 Jan 1995, Sandy Sandfort wrote:

> Date: Tue, 3 Jan 1995 10:58:09 -0800 (PST)
> From: Sandy Sandfort <sandfort@crl.com>
> To: Cypherpunks <cypherpunks@toad.com>
> Subject: SAN FRANCISCO EDITORIAL
> 
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>                           SANDY SANDFORT
>  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
> 
> C'punks,
> 
> Here is a guest editorial that ran in Monday's SF Chronicle.  It
> should make your blood boil.
> 
> 
>  S a n d y
> 
> 			*	*	*
> 
>              ANARCHY, CHAOS ON THE INTERNET MUST END


[Trash about mob rule, and the need for international diplomacy (Read U.S. 
imposition of local law to foreign sovereigns) to correct the problem, 
happily deleted.]


> 
> Martha S. Siegel is the author of ``How to Make a Fortune on the
                                      ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

> Information Superhighway'' and CEO of Cybersell in Scottsdale, Ariz. 
  ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^              ^^^^^^^^^

I guess anonymous posting abilities just kill the internet direct mail 
business hmmmm?

073BB885A786F666 nemo repente fuit turpissimus - potestas scientiae in usu est
6E6D4506F6EDBC17 quaere verum ad infinitum, loquitur sub rosa    -    wichtig!