Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!usc!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!ai-lab!life.ai.mit.edu!guest From: guest@geech.ai.mit.edu (Guest Account) Newsgroups: comp.org.eff.talk Subject: Re: Information Control Message-ID: Date: 28 Mar 91 19:50:42 GMT References: <1233@airs.UUCP> <1404@gargoyle.uchicago.edu> Sender: news@ai.mit.edu Organization: Guest at MIT Lines: 30 In-reply-to: learn@gargoyle.uchicago.edu's message of 27 Mar 91 13:43:44 GMT In article <1404@gargoyle.uchicago.edu> learn@gargoyle.uchicago.edu (William Vajk ) writes: On this same basis, Daniel, I suggust that it would be OK for me to punch you in the nose every day, till you decide to pay me to stop. And carrying matters one step further, others shouldn't interfere or subsidize protections on your behalf, cause they don't care that you're being punched in the nose. OK, William, your point is well taken but we are walking a fine line between liberty and justice here. I do think that it is too much to ask for people to walk around defending themselves against punches. I don't think it is too much to ask for people to only deal with companies that will agree to protect their privacy. I know the IEEE will do this for you. By the way, does anyone know what the law is concerning privacy between doctors and patients? Anyone know what the law is which prevents banks from giving out your balance to just anyone? Wouldn't it be simpler if there was a law which just said that companies only had to provide the *option* of privacy rather than a law which mandated privacy? And a company could only charge more if it could show that it was costing more to service privacy rather than charging more because they were losing profits from not selling the info. Also, the law would have to be limited to business agreements between service providers and their customers. For instance, I see no problem with companies reading USENET postings and using the info or selling it. If you don't want companies to do that, it is very simple to post anonymously. Much easier than defending yourself against a punch in the nose. Daniel Guilderson ryan@cs.umb.edu