Janet Reno warns of "lawlessness on the Internet"

>From U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno's weekly press conference, held this
morning at the Department of Justice. She's speaking about an upcoming
meeting of the G-7 nations and Russia:

        At this meeting we will be discussing ways in which our
	countries can work together to better identify and locate
	cybercriminals.

        Automation, computers, the Internet have now made
	boundaries, in many instances, meaningless.  As I have
	said on a number of occasions at this table, a man can
	sit at a computer in Europe and steal from a bank in the
	United States.  Someone in Germany can get a list of
	credit card numbers here and try to extort people for
	money on the threat of using these credit cards.

        I think it is imperative that we develop practices,
	procedures, and laws that will enable these countries -
	and indeed other countries throughout the world - to work
	together to focus on criminals who are exploiting the new
	technologies that so many of us are relying on. The
	solution is working together as nations.  Our law
	enforcement agencies must learn to work together more
	closely on these issues and more quickly than ever
	before, since a split-second response can help catch a
	hacker while he is still online.

        The fight against lawlessness on the Internet will be one
	of the greatest law enforcement challenges of the next
	century.  By working on agreements to help meet that
	challenge, we won't be left fighting 21st century threats
	with 20th century solutions.  I think it is going to be
	incumbent upon us all to develop the expertise on the
	part of law enforcement, both at the federal and state
	level, to make sure that we know who our counterparts are
	around the world and that we come together on this issue.

I guess this is the Department of Justice's response to "cryptoanarchy."

-Declan

Declan McCullagh wrote:
> >From U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno's weekly press conference, held this
> morning at the Department of Justice. She's speaking about an upcoming
> meeting of the G-7 nations and Russia:

Summary: International Law Enforcement. New World Order. International
  Law Enforcement. New World Order. International Law Enforcement...
 
>         At this meeting we will be discussing ways in which our
>         countries can work together to better identify and locate
>         cybercriminals.
...
>         The
>         solution is working together as nations.  Our law
>         enforcement agencies must learn to work together more
>         closely on these issues and more quickly than ever
>         before
 
>         I think it is going to be
>         incumbent upon us all to develop the expertise on the
>         part of law enforcement, both at the federal and state
>         level, to make sure that we know who our counterparts are
>         around the world and that we come together on this issue.

Declan adds: 
> I guess this is the Department of Justice's response to "cryptoanarchy."

  How many people have recognized the Big Lie increasingly being spread
by the self-proclaimed guardians of the future of all humanity?

  What happens if the InterNet disappears from the face of the earth,
tomorrow? Not a whole helluva lot. It would be a loss, but in no way
a major disaster for all mankind.
  The InterNet is the Falklands. There is really no need to mount a
huge armed force to travel halfway around the world and 'put things
straight' unless this-or-that perceived authority deems it to be
necessary/in the national interest/a good idea/profitable/etc.

  Ask yourself this..."If the InterNet is such a highly important,
as well as highly vulnerable, infrastructure--of momentous value
to our military and economic well-being--then why on earth did
our government announce that it was of major importance for every
man, woman, and child, sane and insane, to have access to it?"

  "It is a matter of national urgency that every citizen should tour
the Pentagon, as soon as possible. Of course, in the interests of
national security, it will be necessary to give everyone who does
so a digital implant."
  "We have adopted a policy of allowing your children to play in
our missle silos, but we will have to imprison them if they play
with the buttons."

>         Automation, computers, the Internet have now made
>         boundaries, in many instances, meaningless. 

  Those in power recognize this, and they also recognize the need
to recreate and/or redefine it as a valuable treasure in need of
defending from the Great Enemy.
  This time around the Karmic Circle, however, the Great Enemy is
everyone on the face of the earth.

  Isn't there a Chinese curse which says, "May you live in interesting
times."?

TruthMonger

On Thu, 4 Dec 1997, TruthMonger wrote:

> 
>   Ask yourself this..."If the InterNet is such a highly important,
> as well as highly vulnerable, infrastructure--of momentous value
> to our military and economic well-being--then why on earth did
> our government announce that it was of major importance for every
> man, woman, and child, sane and insane, to have access to it?"
> 

Monger:

Simply because everyone (ok..lots) on the planet are already using it. 
They belabor the obvious in order to build a constituincy. Replace
internet with the word "air" and you have the same effect. 

"We must protect everyone from the abuse of the air you breath.  Evil,
profiteering businessman will ruin it. Terrorists and pedophiles will want
to breath it too -- so you must let us evil, murdering government types
dole out who breaths the air and what it will smell like." 

Be afraid.  Be very afraid. (abbreviated BABVA (tm))

these true facts have been brought to you by:

FUDmonger
the letter 'F'
and the number '666'

At 01:04 PM 12/4/97 -0600, TruthMonger wrote:
>  Isn't there a Chinese curse which says, "May you live in interesting
>times."?
>
>TruthMonger
>

Yeah, its a corollary of Moore's law :-)


------------------------------------------------------------
      David Honig                   Orbit Technology
     honig@otc.net                  Intaanetto Jigyoubu

Information is a dense, colorless, odorless material readily transmitted
across empty space and arbitrary boundaries by shaking charged particles.