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CFP 2000 Wrapup

Posted by michael on from the computers-freedom-and-privacy dept.

Roger Clarke, a computer scientist at Australian National University, was lucky enough to attend the Computers, Freedom and Privacy Conference this year, and has placed his notes online. CFP covered nearly every topic we address in the YRO section of Slashdot, so this is recommended reading for anyone interested in freedom of speech, privacy, encryption, domain names, or a host of other issues. It sounds like Neal Stephenson's address alone was worth the cost of attendance...

1 of 37 comments (clear)

  1. Freedom without responsibility? by chazR · · Score: 5
    --BEGIN RANT MODE
    Sometimes I get angry. I have read the 'notes'. And I can find *no* reference to responsibility anywhere. This is worrying. I am concerned that a growing number of people have no idea what freedom means.

    A lot of people rant on about 'freedom' and 'privacy'. Why do none of these people talk about responsibility?

    Freedom is an abstract concept that only a minority of the human population currently enjoy. When you talk about freedom, what do you mean? Let's start with Roosevelt's four:

    Freedom of speech and expression

    Freedom to worship in your own way

    Freedom from want

    Freedom from fear

    A *lot* of people don't have these. And many of them would be grateful for any one of them. Try living in Burma, Somalia, Serbia or China if you find it hard to believe.

    I get tired of hearing skript kiddies on this forum saying things like 'Information wants to be free' as they deprive an artist of money by using closed-source Napster to rip of another mp3. What about the artist's right to 'freedom from want'?

    I get tired of seeing the 'troll' posts about a certain young lady. Does the troll's 'freedom of expression' outweigh her freedom from fear?

    I am increasingly irritated by the same hormonally-challenged kiddies burbling on about 'information wants to be free' insisting that they have a right to strong encryption for *their* information.

    Here is my point: Freedom brings responsibility. If you can't handle the responsibility, don't abuse the freedom

    -- END RANT MODE

    Do to others as you would be done by. Trite, but true.