Today I risk the legal wrath of one of the local Internet's most sadly
warped characters.
Yes, the original Kiwi Internet Cowboy has raised his sad little head out of
the mud and begun spamming again.
Clearly things aren't going too well at the bottom end of the "web diziner"
marketplace.
The reason I risk all kind of legal penalties is because the bottom of
our little spammer's message contains the words:
"CAUTION: This communication is confidential and may be legally privileged
or subject to copyright. If it is not addressed to you, please immediately
contact us at our cost and do not use, disclose, copy, distribute or
retain any of it without our authority."
Oh yeah -- send unsolicited junk email and then suggest that it's so important
and valuable that it ought to be protected by law.
Why haven't I mentioned this spammer by name? Well it's not because I'm
afraid of being sued for defamation -- it's simply because I believe that
people like this don't deserve the publicity and free advertising that a
link from this site produces.
Oh yes, I wonder if all the web designers he's listed on his site appreciate
having their email addresses published for every spambot in creation to pick
up and add to their lists?
Did he ask permission to publish this information?
I don't think so. Looks like there are two sets of rules in the cowboy's world.
Government Tactics?
Yesterday the NZ Herald published
a story
in which it was suggested that work is being done to "soften public resistance
to proposed internet surveillance."
Meanwhile, Wired has published
a story
in which they report suggestions that the CIA and FBI are using the recent alleged
online activities of terrorist Osama Bin Laden as a similar excuse to justify
the introduction of stronger government controls over encryption and surveillance.
So what's going on here?
Are we once again being treated like children and having "what's good for us"
thrust upon us despite our protests -- all in the name of public interest?
This smacks of the kind of tactics that parents have used for years when
trying to get their kids to eat some hideously slushy vegetable mush:
"Eat your cabbage or you won't grow up to be big and strong."
The funny thing is that I've never heard of any kid who died, or even became
ill solely because of "cabbage deficiency."
Could it be that governments around the world are still really worried about the
threat the Net poses to their ability to avoid being held up to close scrutiny
by the people and are seeking frantically to reign in the almost unbridled
freedom it represents to free speech?
No doubt the fanatical extremists will be all in favour of believing the worst
of our administration -- but then again, history shows that we should never
take anything that those in power thrust upon us solely at face value.
Let us always remember that, in a democracy, a government is elected to carry
out the wishes of the people -- not to compromise the rights of the people
in favour of the rights of the politicians.
Perhaps it's time we kept a closer eye on things?
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