[dvd-discuss] Censorware circumvention and the Iraqi Information Minister

[Seth Finkelstein <sethf(at)sethf.com>]

microlenz(at)earthlink.net wrote
> As for some of the claims made in DC that Seth F. hadn't decrypted
> the database...duhhh

	That part was just hilarious. David Burt, censorware company
representative, ended up being compared (not by me!) to the infamous
Iraqi Information Minister:

	http://sethf.com/anticensorware/hearing_dc.php

MR. BURT: Well, again, as I said earlier, it didn't have any harm
because nobody has used the exemption that we know of.

MR. BAND: But Mr. Finkelstein has -- 

MR. BURT: Excuse me. I'm being censored here. I've got to talk. (Laughter.) 

I'm a librarian; I can say that. 

As far as I know, no one has used this exemption to do this kind of
research. That's why there hasn't been any harm that I'm aware of. 
But, again, as I said, the harm could be quite bad. If the exemption
were heavily used and people were trafficking these lists quite
widely, the harm could be quite widespread.

MR. FINKELSTEIN: David, will you authorize me to send to the members
of the Panel the complete N2H2 blacklist to

Page 90

prove that I have, indeed, circumvented the encryption? 

MR. BURT: Again, as I said earlier, I can't make legal decisions like
that for my company. I'm not empowered to do that.

MR. FINKELSTEIN: Well, then, will you reserve your characterization
because of the fact that I have offered to prove it?

MR. BAND: I also, not to belabor the point, but this is a little bit
like the Iraqi Information Minister saying, "No, there are no American
troops in Baghdad," when, you know, the American troops were right
there. You keep on saying, "No, no circumvention has occurred," when
right next to you there's a guy who has said a dozen times, 
"I circumvented it and this is what I did." I am a little
surprised. That's all I can say. (Laughter.)

MR. BURT: Well, I think it's certainly illustrative that you have
compared the filtering industry to the Baath Party, what you think of
it. (Laughter.) I think Mr. Finkelstein would probably agree with
you. (Laughter.)

MR. FINKELSTEIN: I think more like China. 

-- 
Seth Finkelstein  Consulting Programmer  sethf@sethf.com  http://sethf.com
Anticensorware Investigations - http://sethf.com/anticensorware/
Seth Finkelstein's Infothought blog - http://sethf.com/infothought/blog/