re: The Power of No

I’m sure that to most Americans, this bill seems like a good thing. However, as the founder of an organization that would be subject to these new requirements, this is downright terrifying.

The problem is enforcement. Do House members think there is some automated algorithm that can analyze images and detect likely child porn? I assure you that this is not the case. In fact, I would argue that the creation of such an algorithm would be nearly impossible with today’s technology, even in theory. Even if it were possible to create such an algorithm, it would require exponentially more processing power than the services it would be used to monitor.

No, the only option for genuine enforcement would be to hire a staff to monitor all inbound and outbound communications.

Silence is Defeat offers a lifetime of service for a one-time donation of $1. It works because people who care about the cause step up and volunteer their time and skills, which allows us to operate on a shoestring. If a bill like this were to pass, and it looks like it’s going to, organizations like mine (that give people in third-world countries the ability to circumvent government-enforced censorship) could not afford to comply and would be forced to close its doors. No more encrypted communication tunnels. No more pseudo-anonymous email and hosting. No more easy ways to discover Free software. Not from organizations like this, anyway. (That’s Free as in Free Speech, not free as in free beer.)

Of course, the market will always find ways to circumvent government-imposed roadblocks. But with each roadblock comes the end of several avenues to freedom and several chapters of Internet history.

Make no mistake about it: This bill will have a direct cost of freedom to people around the world.

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12:06 pm on December 6, 2007