[volunteergrid2-l] Foot-dragging

[Shawn Willden]

So, if I'm understanding your concern, you're fearful that you might be
held responsible if one of the other users of the VG2 grid were to store
illegal materials in the grid and, therefore, on your computer?

I don't think that's a realistic concern, but you have to make the decision
for yourself.

I think there may be one inaccuracy in your thinking which I can point out:
 ISPs are not considered common carriers.  In fact they've fought hard to
avoid that classification, because it brings regulation along with
protection from responsibility.

Since Comcast et al are not held responsible for, say, the kiddie porn that
flows over their networks, I don't think you have to have worry.
 Particularly since it is provable (in the legal sense and almost in the
mathematical sense) that you can have no knowledge of the content others
store on your machine, I can't see how any court could attempt to hold you
responsible.  ISPs actually have the ability to see much of what they
transport.  You don't.

Further, there's a good argument to be made that what you store isn't even
"information".  It is encrypted data and you don't have the key.  Assuming
the data is not decryptable without the key, it can be argued that key +
data == information, but key without data is simply noise.  Strengthening
this argument is the fact that you don't even hold all of the parts needed
to assemble the encrypted file.  Without the shares that have been
distributed to other machines, you don't even have enough information to be
able to reconstruct the encrypted file... which you couldn't decrypt anyway.

None of that would be a strong defense if the court could argue that you
should have known that you were storing illicit information.  But the
purpose of this grid isn't to skirt laws restricting kiddie porn, the
purpose of this grid is provide highly-reliable off-site backups of normal
data.  I can certainly assure you that none of the data I store in the grid
is illegal.

Perhaps one thing we could do is to state as a formal policy of the grid
that it is not to be used for storing any data which the owner knows, or
should know, is illegal in his or her jurisdiction.

Oh, and as for GMail... if you're concerned about e-mail snooping for this
mailing list, the list archives are a bigger concern.  The government
wouldn't even need a warrant:  They could just sign up for membership and
have access to the full text of everything anyone has posted here.  In
general, any expectations of secrecy on unencrypted e-mail are foolish, but
our conversations here are effectively conducted in public.

On Fri, Feb 24, 2012 at 11:07 AM, Ted Rolle Jr. <stercor at gmail.com> wrote:

> I've been dragging my feet implementing Tahoe-LAFS.
> As one who lived through the McCarthy era, and the expanded powers that
> the government has to view and track private citizens, I don't want to be
> prosecuted by the government.  I don't have the resources to be in this
> fight.
> And I don't believe for one minute that it's directed toward te..or..ts.
> GMail routinely reads mail for 'targeted advertising'.  I can think of
> other reasons, too.
>
> Where does this lead?  I don't know.
> Perhaps someone here can put my concerns to rest.
> The gov decides who is and is not a 'common carrier' --- i.e. not
> responsible for the traffic the network carries.
> And in today's climate, people are guilty until proven innocent.
>
> Ted
>
> --
> GPG/PGP public key: B07F9AAE
>
>
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>



-- 
Shawn
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