Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!husc6!rutgers!bellcore!texbell!ssbn!bill
From: bill@ssbn.WLK.COM (Bill Kennedy)
Newsgroups: comp.misc
Subject: Re: Soviet Access to Usenet
Summary: What good/bad would it do
Message-ID: <255@ssbn.WLK.COM>
Date: 21 Nov 88 00:49:19 GMT
References: <8081@bloom-beacon.MIT.EDU> <2672@uhccux.uhcc.hawaii.edu>
Reply-To: bill@ssbn.WLK.COM (Bill Kennedy)
Distribution: na
Organization: W.L. Kennedy Jr. and Associates, Pipe Creek, TX
Lines: 43

lee@uhccux.uhcc.hawaii.edu (Greg Lee) writes: >
>From article by ajdenner@athena.mit.edu (Alexander J Denner): "
" ...
" 	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.)
" ... why make it easier for them to ...
" ... make it much easier for them to ...

>If they already have access, then it couldn't be easier for them to have
>access, unless it's a question of degree or immediacy.  If their access
>is on the record, it would be bad public relations for them to cause
>problems.  If a network connection is ever permitted, the price would
>probably be extra security precautions, in which case the net effect
>(pun intended) would be more protection for sensitive information.
>
>		Greg, lee@uhccux.uhcc.hawaii.edu

OK, I'm a little paranoid, I saw the remarks about what we or "they"
might do in the event of a misstep like the ARPA fiasco, but I'm
wondering.  I think that the usenet community has been significantly
enriched by our international neighbors.  Further, we have all benefitted
from contributions from usenet sites outside of geographical areas that
are "friendly" to the Western bloc.

We, unfortunately perhaps, conduct these discussions in English, so it
might be difficult for a Soviet colleague to be as effusive as they might
if we had linguacode or esparanto (sp?).  I, for one, would be interested
in seeing/hearing/following some discussion with the Eastern bloc.  Let's
set the military/intelligence junk aside.  I'm convinced that "our side"
and "their side" have already combed out everything "they"/"we" want, I'd
like to have access to the thoughts/problems of folks that we seem to think
still live in the age of the kerosene computer.

The HAM radio operators have done it for years.  The facility to expand on that
is soon to be upon us, would anyone else like to pick up some pointers or
offer some with a colleague in the same racket?  Might we not be able to
tear down some perceived or synthetic barriers?  I don't know, that's why I
posted...
-- 
Bill Kennedy  usenet      {killer,att,rutgers,sun!daver,uunet!bigtex}!ssbn!bill
              internet    bill@ssbn.WLK.COM