Administrivia: the porn and advertising thread

[phil hunt]

On Friday 26 April 2002  4:06 pm, Peter Mitchell wrote:
> Stephen Early wrote:
> > The thread on the effect of images on behaviour is very interesting,
> > but is now drifting a long way from the topic of UKcrypto.  Please
> > think hard before continuing the thread.
>
> The authorities almost always cite child porn (and now terrorism) as
> justification for their attempts to regulate encryption.
>
> It seems to me very natural for list members to discuss whether this
> justification has any basis in reality, or whether it is just smoke and
> mirrors.

Two questions I'd be interested in people's views on:

(1) if everyone starts using crypto, will it be possible to effectively
limit the availability of any type of matter (such as child porn, or
for that matter unauthorised copies of music) over the net?

(2) if the answer to the first question is "no", will the authorities
eventually stop trying?

(For what it's worth, my current answers to these questions are "don't 
know" and "probably, after a generation or so").



-- 
<"><"><"> Philip Hunt <philh@comuno.freeserve.co.uk> <"><"><">
"I would guess that he really believes whatever is politically 
advantageous for him to believe." 
                        -- Alison Brooks, referring to Michael
                              Portillo, on soc.history.what-if