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Use A Firewall, Go To Jail... AND Send Bill Gates To Jail
from the perfect dept
This story is getting covered just about everywhere, but Ed Felten has pointed out that some new proposed legislation in some states would effectively mean that if you use a firewall, you are breaking the law. Clearly, this is terribly written legislation (in multiple states at the same time... hmmm...), giving yet another example of why politicians probably shouldn't get mixed up with technology issues. This story is being discussed in plenty of other places, so I won't add much to the commentary, but I thought the Register made an additional point that takes it a step further. The bills point out that you don't only get in trouble for using a firewall, but for also creating any software that can be used to conceal your identity. So, in their estimation, this also means that if these laws pass, Bill Gates can also go to jail for making firewall technology. As, they say at the Register... "Ah, decisions, decisions..."
Reader Comments
(Flattened / Threaded)
if firewalls are outlawed, only outlaws will use f
The article is an overreaction. Header lines in mail messages don't mean anything, as any spammer knows. And the argument about NAT can be extended to routers as well (they conceal MAC addresses).
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bad news
http://www.michiganlegislature.org/mileg.asp?page=getObject&objName=mcl-750-540c-amended
this law goes into effect in my state in 10 hours.
on the upside, i enjoy fighting stupid crap like this sometimes.
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Gates and crew violate laws on a daily basis...
....the only thing that keeps them out of jail is having enough money to assinate all the law enforcement officers/politicians in any particular state:
http://www.infoworld.com/article/02/07/19/020722opcurve_1.html
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rtyu
too bad~kk
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