Herr Schmidt

At 3:20 PM 9/5/96, Stephan Schmidt wrote:

>Definetly not.
>There is an advisory from the Generalbundesanwaltschaft and
>the ICTF that ISPs should ('have to') restrict the access to
>those urls.
>
>But so far nothing happend. I asked some people
>to try the urls and there where no restrictions.
>(I encounterd no restrictions myself.)

By the way, I used the name "Schmidt" in my satire post, sent out earlier
this morning. I picked that name randomly, being a common German name
(cognate to Smith, I believe), and meant nothing with regard to Stephan.

(I also don't dislike Germans in general. I studied some German in high
school--don't ask me to use it, though!--and have visited Germany. They
just have a certain well-known tendency to take the authoritarian path at
times.)

--Tim

We got computers, we're tapping phone lines, I know that that ain't allowed.
---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:----
Timothy C. May              | Crypto Anarchy: encryption, digital money,
tcmay@got.net  408-728-0152 | anonymous networks, digital pseudonyms, zero
W.A.S.T.E.: Corralitos, CA  | knowledge, reputations, information markets,
Higher Power: 2^1,257,787-1 | black markets, collapse of governments.
"National borders aren't even speed bumps on the information superhighway."

! (I also don't dislike Germans in general. I studied some German in high
! school--don't ask me to use it, though!--and have visited Germany. They
! just have a certain well-known tendency to take the authoritarian path at
! times.)

Yes.  How to get an anonymous Unix shell account in Germany, Singapore
and the UK?  Easy here, but is some *law* or custom in Germany to
force ISP customers to show to demand passports or Germany's national
ID card the citizens are forced to carry at all times under penalty
of jail for the failure to do so?

There's obvious reasons why I and Declan would like to get accounts
anonymously.  But I'd do it with my passport name if I am able to do
so.  Distributing censored information carries more of a political
statement if conducted by those with accounts that are located in the
unfree country itself.  If something like Gerhard Lauck is practical
proof, only those who intend to actually ever go to Europe or Asia
in the status quo need worry about actually getting incarcerated for
situationist anti-censorship activities.  Who cares, I don't, 
personally.

> (I also don't dislike Germans in general. I studied some German in high
> school--don't ask me to use it, though!--and have visited Germany. They
> just have a certain well-known tendency to take the authoritarian path at
> times.)

Agreed :)

I talked to someone about censorship here in Germany
and we both think there is not much around.
Germans are always amused when american film stars come
to a German tv show and ask if they can use words like
fuck on tv. Or the beeps in some songs on mtv Europe.

The only big 'censorship' in Germany concerns
extrem left and right wing texts etc
(e.g. 'Ausschwitzluege', which is, when someone says
ausschwitz is a lie), because it's
illegal to distribute such things.

And some censorship is involved in selling video games,
although the concept is often misunderstood in the US. 
Video Games are not censored and can be bought by adults. 
It's only prohibited to sell these things to kids.

And to this 'Herr Schmidt': most of the people I know
are amused about 'Anglos' using this Herr XXX 
(say on skyone, nbc, etc.) stuff, because
no German uses this phrase in this way :)

And I thought cypherpunks are more open,
concerning some mails I received.

I think I had to say this, so don't bother.

-stephan

PS: and to those who mailed : it`s stephan not stephen ;)