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<br>
It seems to me that the issues around "freedom of name" come down
to:<br>
<br>
a) The right of persons to choose their own names as they see fit,
including using different names for different purposes. <br>
<br>
The right to choose "the noun of your own identity" is the core
expression of the principle that you are a free person. <br>
<br>
b) The ability of the justice system to catch and prosecute people
who abuse that freedom as a means of harming others. <br>
<br>
"The right to keep and bear names" resembles the issues over
firearms and cryptography (including steganography). <br>
<br>
But there's another issue afoot, which is:<br>
<br>
c) Using Big Data as a means of maximizing profit by prediction and
control of individuals' behavior. <br>
<br>
If someone's goal is to milk you for all you're worth, the more they
know about you, the better they can milk you at work, and milk you
in your free time. This issue can easily hide behind (b), since
"unique identifiers" in databases are convergent with "attribution"
in intelligence & law enforcement. <br>
<br>
But why stop at the internet? Someone could go to the corner store,
buy a candy bar anonymously with cash, inject poison into the candy
bar, and slip it back onto another store's shelf to be bought by an
unsuspecting victim. A handful of people could do that across the
country and cause multiple casualties and panic, just as happened
with the poisoned Tylenol in 1982. <br>
<br>
So why not require official photo ID for every single purchase? For
a while, various corporate interests have been chirping about the
"convenience" of "going cash-less" for example by using smartphones
as universal payment cards. (It's not tyranny, it's "convenience"!)<br>
<br>
In a month or so you won't be able to cross the Golden Gate Bridge
anonymously by paying cash: you'll need a "Fast Track" or a credit
card, or your license plate will be photographed and a bill for the
toll sent to your vehicle registration address. This is just
begging for a lawsuit. <br>
<br>
The way to launch that lawsuit is to stop at the CalTrans office at
the bridge, where they expect you to provide a credit card in lieu
of using Fast Track, and insist on doing it for cash, anonymously.
When the transaction is refused, ask to speak with a supervisor and
get it in writing. Then let them know, politely and with good
cheer, that CalTrans can expect to be served with a lawsuit. It
might be most effective to do this with a media reporter on hand,
ideally taking video of the whole thing ("if you get to take video,
we get to take video").<br>
<br>
A few other items:<br>
<br>
= Re. Burning Man: for a while they've been going more corporate
behind the scenes, so it would not surprise me if they were falling
for the seduction of Big Data. And let's not forget the possible
influence of computer geeks on their staff, looking for projects
that will keep them happily employed, and conveniently jumping on
the "privacy is obsolete" bandwagon to justify it. <br>
<br>
= "What's wrong with having to get a warrant from a judge?" is a
powerful rhetorical point. There is exactly nothing about new
technologies, to invalidate the principle that law enforcement's
need to use surveillance must be subject to the check and balance of
the judicial branch. <br>
<br>
= "Legal names" are for legal documents, not for everyday life.
Buying candy and posting online are not equivalent to signing a
contract or swearing out a deposition or making a will. You don't
expect your sweetheart to call you by your legal name in bed. <br>
<br>
= Ultimately we won the crypto debate in the 1980s because the power
of business was allied with the power of civil liberties: crypto
facilitates online transactions. <br>
<br>
= We may be able to harness the power of commerce here as well:
some evidence is beginning to accumulate that people become more
reserved about making online purchases, if they know that their
buying habits are being collected and scrutinized by Big Data. <br>
<br>
= "Buy anonymous, pay cash" has the potential to gain strength if it
gets traction in business. Local currencies are important. "Gift
cards" and other anonymous pre-paid cards are important. Getting
local business onboard for this is important. CTel will have
prepaid accounts for mesh voice/data service, with freedom of name.
There is a huge opportunity for someone to start a business that
intermediates online transactions to support freedom of name. About
which more in my next email...<br>
<br>
-G.<br>
<br>
<br>
=====<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
On 13-03-14-Thu 3:33 PM, aestetix wrote:<br>
<blockquote type="cite">Oh hai!<br>
<br>
NymRights is dedicated to making sure people can use the names
they<br>
choose on the Internet. This saturday at 2pm we're having a
meeting at<br>
sudo room. Among things we'll be discussing:<br>
<br>
How the Phoenix IDESG plenary went<br>
The NymRights "suggested policy" for names on websites<br>
Reception of my Shmoocon talk<br>
General name-related nuttery<br>
<br>
It is open to all, please come if this is something that interests<br>
you! <a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://www.nymrights.org">http://www.nymrights.org</a> for more info!<br>
<br>
Cheers,<br>
aestetix<br>
</blockquote>
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