Legal Rights for Computers

nicholast writes "There's a really smart story in the current issue of Legal Affairs Magazine about granting legal recognition to computers: when that might happen, why it could happen, and what a discussion about it will teach humans about themselves."

Comments

Re:Just out of curiosity...

[flossie]

Could you supply a short [preferably documented] list of "rights" that were lost since GWB assumed the presidency?

Simple. Guantanamo Bay. As a non-US citizen, I am absolutely disgusted at the way that the Bush administration has violated the human rights of those captives. I am also very disgusted at the way that the UK government is holding foreign suspected terrorists without charge or trial in Belmarsh prison, but at least those inmates have a choice.

Land of the free. Yeah, right!

Re:Documentation?

[HarveyBirdman]

Could you kindly document this assertion?

Dude. Don't bother. You're dealing with wannabe freedom fighters who don't even know what to do with the freedoms they already have. There's young folk in this country right now who think we are worse than Nazi Germany. It's a bizarre segment of our society. I think they look at past civil rights struggles with a romantic tint, and they want something similar, so they fabricate this wacky worldview where United States 2005 is one of the most hideous, evil and oppressive societies to ever exist. It's pathetic, but what can you do? They're mentally ill.

Re:Just out of curiosity...

[flossie]

Are you disgusted when terrorists blow up schools in Russia? Were you disgusted when Saddam's sons had rape houses? Are you disgusted by the human slavery in Sudan?

Yes.

No. The piffle in Gitmo involving prisoners of war... that gets your gander.

Guantanamo Bay is even worse. If we lower ourselves to the level of the terrorists, we have lost.