10.17.1. Censorship comes in many forms. Tort law, threats of grant or
contract removal, all are limiting speech. (More reasons for
anonymous speech, of course.)
10.17.2. Discussions of cryptography could be targets of future
crackdowns. Sedition laws, conspiracy laws, RICO, etc. How
long before speaking on these matters earns a warning letter
from your university or your company? (It's the "big stick"
of ultimate government action that spurs these university and
company policies. Apple fears being shut down for having
"involvement" with a terrorist plot, Emory University fears
being sued for millions of dollars for "conspiring" to
degrade wimmin of color, etc.)
How long before "rec.guns" is no longer carried at many
sites, as they fear having their universities or companies
linked to discussions of "assault weapons" and "cop-killer
bullets"? Prediction: Many companies and universities, under
pressure from the Feds, will block groups in which encrypted
files are posted. After all, if one encrypts, one must have
something to hide, and that could expose the university to
legal action from some group that feels aggrieved.
10.17.3. Free speech is under assault across the country. The tort
system is being abused to stifle dissenting views (and lest
you think I am only a capitalist, only a free marketeer, the
use of "SLAPP suits"--"Strategic Lawsuits Against Public
Participation"--by corporations or real estate developers to
threaten those who dare to publicly speak against their
projects is a travesty, a travesty that the courts have only
recently begun to correct).
We are becoming a nation of sheep, fearing the midnight raid,
the knock on the door. We fear that if we tell a joke,
someone will glare at us and threaten to sue us _and_ our
company! And so companies are adopting "speech codes" and
other such baggage of the Orwell's totalitarian state.
Political correctness is extending its tendrils into nearly
every aspect of life in America.
By Tim May, see README
HTML by Jonathan Rochkind