Text 5357, 127 rader
Skriven 2010-02-27 14:28:18 av Lee Lofaso (3:800/432.0)
Ärende: Using An Alias 5
========================
Hello Everybody,

"Never has so much been known by so few about so many."
- Anonymous

Everybody loves the IRS.  Especially pilots in Texas.  After all, the
IRS has lots of files.  Just like computer geeks.  And the IRS uses
those files to match available lists of names and addresses of U.S.
citizens who have bought comuters for home use.  Can you imagine that?
If you own a computer, the IRS has a file on you!

You might think you have nothing to hide.  But think about it.  Why
would the IRS want to keep a file on you? Well, the IRS uses this
information by matching it with its very own IRS master file (yes, every
government agency has a master file) of taxpayers (everybody pays their
taxes, right?) in an effort to find out who has not filed.  That is how
the IRS goes about identifying folks who have not paid their taxes.

Since the IRS can do this, other government agencies can also do the
same darned thing.  And most assuredly do.  Suppose you have been
posting messages in fido. Using your real name.  Guess what?  Your real
name is in some government file.  And you might very well be under
investigation.  Especially if an agency such as the FBI becomes
interested in what you have posted. One day, a friendly FBI agent might
come knocking on your door and want to interview you.  I am sure you
would be very happy to let him in and tell him all about the controversy
you created on fidonet.  After all, you have nothing to hide.  Right?
Or maybe it will be a CIA agent sent to pick you up and bring you to
Gitmo.  Wouldn't that be fun?  An all-expense paid trip to Cuba.  No
passport or visa required. And an indefinite stay, at that.  Of course,
being the sysop of your own bbs might mean a small inconvenience for
those who access your bbs, but not to worry.  They too will be granted
an interview. Imagine that.  The identities and addresses of all your
users are in the hands of the police.

Americans have been brought up to believe in the fairy tale of living in
a land of freedom.  Yes, a land where freedom is sacred.  In other
countries (such as Iran and North Korea) people are afraid to speak
their minds because to do so means they might not live very long.  Thank
God we live in America!  Reminds me of a song I used to sing long ago -

It Must Have Been Another Country
by Phil Ochs

Oh, a rifle took its aim and a man fell to the ground.
He tried to stand again but everybody held him down.
A time of terror when a bullet pierced the air --
I know that couldn't happen here.

Chorus:
So it must have been another country,
Yes, it must have been another land.
That couldn't happen in the U.S.A. --
We'd never treat a man that way.

And a man is workin' steady, it's good money he receives,
But he's thrown out of work for the wrong things he believes;
He didn't have the thoughts most everybody shares,
I know that couldn't happen here. --Chorus

And a migrant worker sweats underneath the burnin' sun,
He's fallen on his knees but his work is never done;
He begs someone to listen but nbobody seems to care,
And I know that couldn't happen here. --Chorus

And a man is sent to prison to wait until he dies,
He fights to save his life, for years and years he tries;
Even though he changed himself he dies upon the chair,
I know that couldn't happen here. --Chorus

Why is America so obsessed with the surveillance of its own citizens?
Why are fido sysops and moderators so obsessed with insisting that all
other participants reveal their real identities when posting messages?
IT MAKES NO SENSE!

One might expect such insistence in Stalinist Russia.  One might expect
such insistence in Maoist China. But not in the U.S.A.  And yet the
U.S.A. has become more totalitarian than either Stalinist Russia or
Maoist China.  Should fido sysops and moderators emulate that of a
totalitarian regime?  That does appear to be what they are doing, by
continuing this insane real names only policy.

Americans have no privacy.  Neither do Europeans, Asians, Australians,
or Africans.  But that's beside the point. Checking account records,
credit card records, cell phone records, school records, IQ tests,
comments made by teachers, family finances, employment and tax records,
etc. are all matters of public record.  Properties you own are also
matters of public record, along with your income and lifestyle.  With a
little bit of digging, I can find lots of information about you.  And
your family.  Not that I have the slightest interest in doing so.  But
there are those who have an interest.  A great deal of interest.
Especially government and private or corporate investigators. Imagine
what they will find if they set their minds to it. After all, the list I
gave is but a short list.  A very short list, not exhaustive in any way.

Automated monitoring techniques are widely available in today's modern
world.  And also extremely cost-effective. Knowing an individual's real
name makes things even easier. So what is the point of having a real
names only rule?

Why in the world would anybody want to snoop on whoever is posting
messages in fido?  Government agencies have been known to keep dossiers
on students who have written letters to the editor of college campuses.
Do not pretend those same government agencies do not keep dossiers on
those who post messages in fido.  After all, some of those fido
participants could be al-Qaeda...

What does it take to get onto one of these government "enemies" list?
Not much.  Just telephone or write to an organization under
surveillance.  Or post a message on fido in support of that organization
under surveillance.  That should do it.

The privacy we all take for granted is an illusion. It no longer exists.
Perhaps it never did.  However, if we want to preserve even the illusion
of personal privacy the most basic minimum that should be done is to
allow ALL participants to use an alias/handle when posting messages in
fido.

Have a nightmarish day,

--Lee


 * SLMR 2.1a * Don't confuse me with your mind, my facts are made up.-JW

--- Maximus 3.01
 * Origin: Xaragmata / Adelaide SA telnet://xaragmata.mooo.com (3:800/432)