[WEB4LIB] Getting the genie back in the bottle; was: Disturbing News

[Daniel Messer]

Edward Wigg wrote:

> It now seems that it is not always so easy to recall such information, as
> they probably should have foreseen: see
> <http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/la-000094419nov27.story> for a
> follow up.

    Beautiful. :) My position on government and technology is that the
government knows little to nothing about technology. This comes through in a
lot of their actions regarding computers and the internet. They think that
blocking technology is sufficient enough that First Amendment rights aren't
trampled, they think the DMCA is a good idea, and of course they just expected
information to disappear at the snap of their fingers "because they say so."
    The Internet has long been a playground for the First Amendment, and I
think it will continue to be for a long time after. Simply because, they may
remove it from the Internet, but they cannot remove it from Joe Enduser's
machine after he downloaded it.
    Besides, you'd think that even the government would realize that, if the
information was already out there, then it's pretty much out there to stay.
Who's to say that someone didn't photocopy these documents they're so worried
about LONG before they were pulled? And if nothing else, if someone read the
document in question, they don't need the document as much.

Oh well...
Dan


--
Mondai wa
The subject in question...
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Daniel Messer, Technology Instructor
Yakima Valley Regional Library
102 N 3rd St Yakima, WA 98901
(509) 452-8541 x712
dmesser at yvrls.lib.wa.us
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When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro.
                     -Hunter S. Thompson