Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!husc6!cca!mirror!rayssd!raybed2!linus!marsh From: marsh@linus.UUCP (Ralph Marshall) Newsgroups: comp.society.futures Subject: Re: UUCP to USSR? Message-ID: <28427@linus.UUCP> Date: 5 Apr 88 20:16:03 GMT References: <8803171554.AA01166@martin-den.ARPA> <2893@kuukkeli.tut.fi> <5436@uwmcsd1.UUCP> Organization: The MITRE Corp., Bedford, MA Lines: 40 In article <5436@uwmcsd1.UUCP>, daemon@uwmcsd1.UUCP (The devil himself) writes: > > There are not any kind of national secrets going on the net. (And if there , > > are, those sending secrets around the world should be arrested anyway.) > From: jps@csd4.milw.wisc.edu (Jeff P Szczerbinski) > Path: csd4.milw.wisc.edu!jps > > I'm glad to see that there are those of you who believe in FREEDOM of > SPEECH, or in this case we should call it FREEMDOM of TYPING. Argh! > I really fail to see why those that are sending so called secrets should > be arrested. I could really get into this, but I'm not. > > Aloha, > > Jeff > > Jeff Szczerbinski Univ. of Wisc. - Milwaukee -- Computer Services Division > jps@csd4.milw.wisc.edu +1 414 332 3033 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > "Anarchy -- Its not the law, its just a good idea!" Well, the problem is that if these things really are secrets, and not just poorly distributed facts, they will only be known by people with security clearances, or spies. If you have a security clearance you have agreed in writing not to distribute them without proper authority. Failure to adhere to this agreement makes you subject to arrest on the grounds of treason, especially if you know what you are doing when you broadcast secret information. And clearly if you are a spy you are subject to arrest. The real question is not why should you be arrested for spreading information you have promised to keep secret, but why do you have to treat information as secret in the first place. I personally feel that there are some things we should not reveal to our enemies, but then I don't have a signature that says: "Anarchy -- Its not the law, its just a good idea!" -- NOTE: NOTHING I have said above is official MITRE policy. In fact they probably don't know I'm saying it, and certainly dont approve of it.