Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!att!pacbell.com!pacbell!hoptoad!gnu From: gnu@hoptoad.uucp (John Gilmore) Newsgroups: comp.org.eff.talk Subject: The difference between private investigators and databases Message-ID: <14470@hoptoad.uucp> Date: 2 Jan 91 01:56:47 GMT References: Organization: Cygnus Support, Palo Alto Lines: 18 abrams@cs.columbia.edu (Steven Abrams) wrote: > I see nothing wrong with this from a legal > point of view, since people were always able to obtain nearly any > information they wanted about someone anyway. The goverment and every person has had the ability to hire someone to follow you around and report everything that you do. But this was limited by the resources available. Do we now have the ability to follow everyone around and report everything they do? How about everyone who has publicly disagreed with the goverment? Or everyone who makes more than $100,000 per year? Do you see a qualitative distinction between the situation in the past and in the present? What fraction of the population has to be under surveillance before you see a distinction? 100%? 50%? 1%? -- John Gilmore {sun,pacbell,uunet,pyramid}!hoptoad!gnu gnu@toad.com Just say no to thugs. The ones who lock up innocent drug users come to mind.