I know this subject is off topic, but I can think of no better place than this list for me to discuss this issue. In the wake of the recent terrorist attacks there will certainly be an increase in the kinds of technology capable of tracking the actions, locations, identities, financial activities, communications, and other aspects of the behavior of individuals and groups of individuals. Very few people would condemn the application of these capabilities to groups such as the terrorists who committed the recent crimes which have threatened the lives and wellbeing of decent people all over the planet. OTOH, these same technologies could be used to track the behavior and conduct of other groups or individuals who are perhaps not guilty of any crimes but those of thought. Such tools could be used by governments to track and oppress such religious groups as the Falun Gong in China, Christians in Iran, Wiccans in the US or Europe. They could be used to track and oppress political parties which oppose the current status quo. Anyone who has read 20th Century European history will understand the potential abuse such tools are subject to. This is subject is of significant personal concern to me for several reasons. Among these are the fact that I am fairly adept at designing systems of this nature, and have actually contributed to such efforts in the past; I am a member of a tiny religious minority which is subject to continual persecution, and which has been unjustly characterized by the US Government as a result of a few statements and actions by individuals claiming to represent us as a whole; I am an American (since 1776 on most branches) and I believe in the freedoms and Rights affirmed by the US Constitution. It seems inevitable such systems will emerge, and will continue to become more sophisticated and powerful. Anyone who has looked at the global world situation and who has run the numbers on population dynamics realized there is great potential for huge ecological, economic, and agricultural disaster which threatens to drive otherwise decent people to extremes of behavior which could potentially lead to significant global conflict as humanity struggles over the insufficient number of life boats on a sinking ship. The power of the kinds of information systems I am discussing when considered in the context of such an unstable world is, to me extremely frightening. I feel confident that there is a genuine threat to individual liberty manifested in this emerging technology. I am in a situation where I don't know what my moral responsibilities are. I am certain that the failure to discuss the potential dangers merely serves to compound the threat. I have many significant questions, and no good answers. To demonstrate but one aspect of my concern consider my ISP. I get my internet service from the same company which provides my telephone service. This company can monitor, without my awareness, my phone conversations, my e-mail traffic, my news group behavior. They can determine what websites I access, and, unless that information is encrypted, what information I download. If the US Government were to investigate my behavior, they could potentially aquire a warrent allowing them to monitor all of the above mentioned behavior. I have been investigated in the past when applying for a security clearance. The result of that investigation was rather disturbing. Though I had committed no crime (other than prior use of certain substance familiar to all recent presidential candidates) my life was severely disrupted as a result of the investigation, and how the information obtained was used. That was in the mid 1980s. It would now be much easier to obtain the same kinds of information as was used to undermine my personal financial security. If what I'm saying doesn't frighten you, think about it until it does. -- Open Source Software depends on your support. If you use it, be sure to give something back. http://www.suse.com | http://www.kde.org http://www.mozilla.org | http://www.xemacs.org