Path: utzoo!utgpu!watmath!clyde!att!pacbell!lll-tis!helios.ee.lbl.gov!pasteur!ucbvax!bloom-beacon!athena.mit.edu!ajdenner From: ajdenner@athena.mit.edu (Alexander J Denner) Newsgroups: comp.misc Subject: Re: Soviet Access to Usenet Message-ID: <8081@bloom-beacon.MIT.EDU> Date: 20 Nov 88 06:13:56 GMT References: <7649@well.UUCP> Sender: daemon@bloom-beacon.MIT.EDU Reply-To: ajdenner@athena.mit.edu (Alexander J Denner) Organization: Massachusetts Institute of Technology Lines: 30 In article <7649@well.UUCP> crunch@well.UUCP (John Draper) writes: > I have heard a LOT of talk about adding Soviet Sites to the UUCP network >but have heard nothing but VAPORWARE. Does anyone out there in Net land >WANT to add Soviet sites?? I can think of a hundred reasons why!! >not to mention what it would do towards World Peace. I do not think this would be a very good idea. Now that the Soviets do not already have access to American networks (ARPANET, etc.). (I am saying that I am sure the KGB intercepts as much internet information as they can.) Although I have nothing against the Russin people, the Soviets are NOT our friends. The Soviet KGB has an immense information gathering network in this country, why make it easier for them to tune into western scientific thought? Andrei Sakahrov has just said that the changes are only superficial. I do not think that he can trust the Soviet government at all. (Even if one believes that Gorbachev is really sincere and wants to destroy all weapons on the Earth, it is very possible that he will be overthrown by conservatives who wil return to the "old" way.) I think that we have seen how the Soviets have cut research costs by copying our Shuttle, why let them get so much information so easily? Having a UUCP site would make it much easier for them to spread a malicious virus in a time of friction. Also, what if a virus from the US leaks into Russia (or a virus from the USSR gets into the US)? Such a situation would cause many problems and bad feelings. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Alexander J. Denner ajdenner@athena.mit.edu 234 Baker House, 362 Memorial Drive mit-eddie!mit-athena!ajdenner Cambridge, MA 02139 ajdenner%athena@mitmva.mit.edu