From: "Prof. L. P. Levine" <levine@blatz.cs.uwm.edu
Date: 24 Nov 1994 08:15:28 -0600 (CST)
Subject: Clarifying answers to TEN QUESTIONS ..
Organization: University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

Taken from RISKS-LIST: RISKS-FORUM Digest  Tuesday 22 November 1994
Volume 16 : Issue 57 FORUM ON RISKS TO THE PUBLIC IN COMPUTERS AND
RELATED SYSTEMS ACM Committee on Computers and Public Policy, Peter G.
Neumann, moderator

 
    Date: 15 Nov 1994 12:12:15  (xST)
    From: [A well-known but suitably anonymized contributor]
    Subject: Clarifying answers to TEN QUESTIONS PARENTS SHOULD 
             ASK THEIR CHILDREN
Where are the manuals, boxes, license agreements for the programs
you have or use?
        They don't have manuals or boxes.  Should I not use them?

Where did you get that game? (program?, floppy?, software?)
        Usually over the net - how do I tell if it's legitimate?
When programs first start running on your computer, whose name
comes on the screen as the "owner" or "licensed-to."
        Very few have this feature.

Did you write/create/author what you're passing off as your own work?
        I resent the use of 'passing off'.  Almost all modern works are
        collaborative in nature - the selection of citations is not a
        trivial issue.  Where did you get these questions?  Are you
        passing off some of it as your work when in fact others first
        came up with some of these ideas?  Where are your citations?

Where did you get the text and images you're using?
        Many of them come from on-line sources.  Does that make them
        legitimate or illegitimate?

If you copied text and images from another source, did you have permission
        Rarely - in most cases, fair use allows you to use them without
        getting formal permission.  Kind of like these questions of yours.
If you didn't need permission from the "owners" of the informatio
you're using, did you credit them for the material? 
        Only if I republish it. I have lots of on-line information
        without citations attached to it.  But I see the author of this
        questionnaire thinks it's legitimate to do this without citation.
        I guess I should stop giving as much credit where due as I do.

3.  Do you ever use other people's computer, disk-space or processing
capability, or look at or copy their files or information, without their
knowledge or permission?
        I almost never get permission to look at each file I view
        I go under the assumption that I may view anything tha
        allows read access by me without going outside of the
        normal methods in use to read files.  If it is interesting
        I copy it for future reference.  I hope they do not know any
        details about my use.  After all, I want to retain my privac
        and they should not be watching what I do.

4. Do you have any prank programs, computer viruses, worms, trojan
horse programs, bombs, or other malicious software
        Several thousand of them.  What's wrong with that?  Don't yo
        have some too?

Do you use bulletin boards or systems that contain these things, or have
friends or acquaintances who do?
        Certainly.  The Internet has lots of these things, and I use it.
        The telephone system is used for abusive phone calls and I use
        it too.  I don't really know what my friends do when they use
        computers.  They have privacy rights too, and we rarely talk about
        what information service we use.
Do you write or create any software like this or deal with people who do?
        All the time.  I deal with Microsoft, Lotus, and many other
        companies that have widely distributed this sort of thing.
        I also know and deal with individuals who have done this, and
        I do it all the time.  Is there something wrong with that?

Are they things you would be comfortable showing me? Showing your
grandmother?
        I would not show either you or my grandmother my files, but it
        has nothing to do with embarrassment.  It is called privacy
Do you have any pictures, video clips, sound clips, articles, text, or
other software or files which contain pornography, violence, dangerous
instructions other distasteful material?
        Lots of them.  It this wrong for some reason?
Do you access or view any of these kinds of things when using the net?
        All the time.  In fact, if you know of any, I would be happy
        if you would forward information on them to me.
6.  Do you have any newsletters, plans, guidelines, or "how-to"
documents or files that you would not be comfortable showing to your
mother?
        Same answer as above.  I value my privacy.
Making Bombs, breaking into systems, stealing telephone access, stealin
computer access, stealing passwords, pornographic or violent text,
guides, descriptions, ......  Do you create, contribute to or receiv
anything like this?
        All the time.  In fact, the Risks Forum is one of my best
        sources for this information.  Should you stop making it
        available to me?

7.  Do you ever connect your computer to a telephone, use a modem, or
otherwise use a network?
        All the time.
8. Who do you associate with when you use the Net?
        Lots of different people.  How do I know who they really are
        anyway?  If you claimed to be John Smith at the West Hannover
        Institute, how could I tell this was true, and why would I
        bother
 ... so should you attempt to discern the character of their cyber-friend
        How?  We have congress-people that seem to lie all the time,
        and yet the majority of voters vote for them and they have a lot of
        power, are on TV all the time, and are supposed to be highly
        respected.  Does this mean that lying is good or bad?  Judg
        not - lest you shall be judged!  Who shall cast the first stone
        Do you attempt to discern the character of everyone on the net
        you communicate with?  How about the thousands who read your
        postings to Risks?  The nature of the net is that it provide
        anonymity and open forums for discussion.  Why would I want t
        stifle free speech by asking character questions.  The
        statements people make should stand on their own regardless of
        who states them. That is the best feature of the nets.  A hig
        school kid can shine and a Ph.D. can look like an idiot - based
        on what they say, not who they are
9. Do you ever use an assumed name, a handle, or an alias  instea
of your real name?  
        Sure.  I have asked this posting to be made anonymously i
        order to allow it to be judged based on its content rather
        than it's source.  It's kind of like the referee process is
        supposed to be on professional papers.  Maybe we would all be
        better off if all postings were anonymous (with a return
        address that permits response without identity).

Do supply a false information about yourself when using a bulletin
board, a news group, a message group, or forum, any part of the net, o
when using e-mail or when otherwise communicating?
        At times.  Especially when bbs systems ask extensive questions
        about who I am, my SSN, credit information, or other information
        that I don't think they have a right to have.  I have also lied
        when connecting to hacker BBS systems because I don't think they
        have a right to know who I am when they all use handles instea
        of names anyway.  I have also used telnet (25) into SMTP sites
        to forge e-mail as if I were Captain Kirk from the enterprise in
        order to have fun when communicating with friends.  Is there
        something wrong with having fun in this way, or is the Internet
        only for serious work and not for having fun or playing around.
        If so, why are there thousands of fun and games forums in th
        Internet?

Do you use your real age & sex when communicating with your computer?
        I rarely use either.  Nobody has ever asked my sex (my nam
        is probably a giveaway on that one) or my age.  Besides, I
        think that discrimination based on age and sex are wrong, are
        against the law, and that forging a sex or age in order to
        have equal access is fair, reasonable, and appropriate in the
        network environment
Do you use any false information like addresses, or phone numbers or use
someone else's credit card number when using your computer
        Yes, yes, and no respectively.  Theft (by deception) is ver
        different than not telling someone where you live or wha
        your phone number is.  These are privacy issues, and privacy
        is a very important thing to have.  Privacy through deception
        is not wrong.  Even becoming someone's friend by lying to them
        about having something in common is not particularly wrong.
        Certainly giving a salesperson a polite wrong number and address
        is a reasonable privacy precaution against getting on mailing
        lists.  It is probably even good to lie if you think someone
        is stalking you over the net.  I think we have a right to lie,
        perhaps even a social responsibility to do so under certain
        circumstances
Do you ever send messages or e-mail in such a way that the recipien
cannot tell that you sent it
        In what sense?  I have certainly sent e-mail that never go
        through - the intended recipient didn't know I sent it.
        I have sent e-mail from group accounts where the individua
        was not identified, but the group was.  This is quite commo
        in customer support.  I have also forged e-mail addresses so
        that I could remain anonymous.  Is that supposed to be wrong?
        Why?  If I sent you a seasons greeting card from a false identit
        would you be upset and try to find me and have me arrested?
        There is a difference between malice and fun
Have you ever modified data, text, messages, or other computer
information so that it looks like someone other than you created it or
made the changes?
        Certainly.  I had to make a change to the TeX sources once
        to get them to compile right, and I used the TeX user ID t
        do so in order to allow the compilation to work right.  This
        is often called for in systems administration.

What are you trying to hide by not using your real name
        My identity. It's called privacy and anonymity.  It's one of
        the basic principles of a free society - that's why we have
        anonymous voting - to protect anonymity and be certain that
        I can think and do what I feel are right without someone like
        you being able to seek retribution.  I believe that a free
        society requires privacy and anonymity.  Otherwise, someone like
        you who perhaps thinks that these ideas are too radical might
        try to black ball me.  Anonymity in pre-war Germany could have
        saved millions of lives.  Many in the US are trying to eliminate
        anonymity by such practices as federal ID cards, and I think that
        is very dangerous.

Are you trying to pretend you are something or someone you are not?
        I have a right to be whatever I want to be.  If I claim to
        be an expert in business consulting, you use my services, and
        I do a good job, what does it matter that I don't even have
        a high school diploma.  If you hire an MBA and they do a ba
        job, does that make it OK?  There is nothing wrong wit
        pretending, as long as you don't lie in order to take advantage
        of someone else.  Theft by deception requires theft.  If I knock
        on your door and claim to be a Jehova's witness when I am not,
        why should that offend you more than if I were a real one?

10.  Do use telephone, video, cable-TV, computer network, bulletin
board, or other network services without paying for them
        All the time.  When I am at a friend's house and I make a phone
        call, I don't pay for it.  I don't pay for Internet access, it i
        given to me.  I use Freenets and other bulletin boards without
        paying for them too.  I have even used friend's accounts to
        access the network on occasions when I didn't have any local
        access.  I also used free compu-serv, America-Online, and Delph
        services when they had free offers.  The vast majority of people
        using the Internet until only a few years ago did not pay for
        their usage either.  Their company, the federal government, or
        someone else paid for their usage.

The bottom line: Are these things also true for my children? Yes, I think
they are.  I hope that they learn how to do the same things I have learned
how to do in order to protect themselves from the tyranny of the majority -
or is it the vocal minority? I hope they keep things private from me when
appropriate, and if they look at some dirty pictures once in a while, it
won't greatly offend me.
Please consider that most issues of right and wrong are matters of degre
and circumstance.  Given more choice and less control, I think more people
will make better decisions.  Illegalize dirty pictures, and you will have a
much larger audience.  That's why so many motion pictures add nudity or
violence if they don't get an R rating with the first cut.  After all, an R
picture on average sells a lot more tickets than a PG picture.