Re: Senate Report Part 2 (fwd)

Joshua Graham Pitcher ((no email))
Fri, 8 Dec 1995 08:30:05 +1100 (EST)

G'Day all!

Anand, I'm sorry that you got this twice.

>
> "1: That it should be an offence to use a computer service to transmit, obtain
> possession of, demonstrate, advertise or request the transmission of material
> equivalent to the RC, R and X classifications.
>

Yeh, This one sucks a bit...

> 2: That the Government give consideration to making the use of strong
> cryprography by service providers obligatory as a means of overcoming
> perceived enforcement problems with Section 85ZE of the Crimes Act 1915.
>

Perhaps x-rated stuff be encryptes and only sbscribers who wish to receive such material have keys?

> 4: That Access and Service Providers be required to verify the identity of all
> clients and that all clients are over the age of 18 years.
>

I don't have a problem with this. In case you haven't noticed children
cannot get an account at a video store or even a library card without a
consenting adult. So why should they be given free reign on the internet?

> 1: Children would be BANNED from the Internet. So much for the Clever Country!

See above.

> 3: Clicking on a Web link that happened to point to objectionable material
> would render you liable to prosecution, even though you cannot know what is
> behind such a link unless you look. Same for downloading a news article,
> receiving an email message etc.
>

I think we're getting a bit paranoid here. It could be easily be proven wether
or not objectionable material was downloaded from a site as opposed to a user
'hitting' a site and then disconnecting after discovering the content of the
site.

> 4: Obligatory strong encryption on all transfers will impose a HUGE
> computational burden on every single user of information services and on
> service providers. It will also render international correspondence vastly
> more complex. Or do they just mean "bad stuff" should be encrypted - and if
> so, why, since "bad stuff" isn't allowed to be sent at all? And how, pray
> tell, does encryption help identify sources unless keys are kept secret?
>

DES uses around 2.5 MIPS. A DES/PGP style combo IMHO would negligebly slow
down any of todays computers (486-100 / pentium).

> 5: Why does the education sector get a special guernsey in the complaints
> body? Talk about a sop!
>

Doesn't really bother me.

> Regards, K.
>
> PS: Five days after it was tabled, the report is still not available online as
> far as I can determine.
>
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> Karl Auer +61-6-2494627 (bh)
> kauer@nospam.pcug.org.au +61-6-2486607 (ah)
> Home page: http://www.pcug.org.au/~kauer
>
>

Josh Pitcher. (http page on its way!)