--On lørdag, oktober 29, 2005 15:15:04 -0400 "Steven M. Bellovin"
<smb@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Steve, I'm not suggesting that technologists should duck responsibility.
But I really think there are better fora. In fact, that's one of the
reasons I've always supported the ISOC in its wider role.
As Ned pointed out, a lot of our technology -- especially, but not
only, security technology -- can't be divorced from its societal
asepcts. When I advocate strong cryptography, I'm certainly protecting
passwords. But am I also protecting privacy, or am I hindering
investigations into terrorist organizations? Is OPES a way to localize
content or is it a way to enable censorship? Will charging for email
-- or rather, the protocols for doing so -- help stop spam, or will it
cut off the third world from the net?
Amorality among scientists, engineers, and technologists has gotten the
world into a lot of trouble. I prefer to think about the consequences
of what I do.
I think we all do, and I think it's one of the reasons why I felt Jefsey's
accusations of provinciality and blinkeredness to be deeply insulting as
well as incoherent.
But the realization that I can't expect to understand what he's driving at
has also helped me to not waste cycles in being irritated at what he says.
I'm all for discussing the specific consequences of the specific things we
do. But only if we can base the discussion on real facts and real people,
not Jefsey's ramblings and sock puppets.
Harald
_______________________________________________
Ietf@xxxxxxxx
https://www1.ietf.org/mailman/listinfo/ietf