'Tis the Season -- again.

[david at gbenet.com]

Hello Robert,

I think the battles for our freedoms is without end. People for societies - they
gather together against real and perceived threats. Those societies of men - in
working men's club's or of some gentleman's club.

Today we live in a very different world - global capitalism - the internet -
communication is global socities are global where people gather round shared ideas.

Ideas - common values become global - the increased Americanism - the increased
control of all forms of media - to share in and be part of the common global
experience - to have the "right" views of our world.

We are a society - but without Articles of Association - other than a common
"right" to send and receive encrypted mail - people find it a useful tool in their
daily lives.

I suspect a politician to say "we will take this right away from you for the
common good because "terrorists" will use it to communicate." There is no such
thing as the "common good" there is only vested interests to control what people
think what they believe in.

It is good to be associated with this list - where the only common factor that
binds us to it is that we can and do send encrypted e-mails. I would like to see
every Journalist and every NGO and Charity using GNUPG - perhaps we should try and
get it onto a free CD available with a popular computing magazine.

I have a whole load of links on my web site - though fraturing my skull - I've yet
to develop the enthusiasm to do more.

We have perceived risks - not real risks of losing our "right" to send and receive
encrypted mail - perhaps with the common global spread we will face real threats
from those which perceive we need to be told want to think and what to believe.

Keep up the good work!!

David


Robert J. Hansen wrote:
> Every December I write one of these emails to the list, about how the end of the year makes a good time to reflect on what's happened this year, how much good luck we've had, how much fraternity and community we've enjoyed, and what might happen next year.
> 
> I feel we've been fortunate to have GnuPG.  Just reading the newspapers is enough to give you the willies nowadays: there's all this sensationalism about our constantly eroding privacy, about how governments want ever-extending powers to surveil, how Facebook is luring people into giving up all kinds of personal information just for some virtual currency in Farmville and Mafia Wars, how...
> 
> Reading this mailing list is a good restorative after reading all of that.  It's beautiful to know that people care about privacy, that people care enough to write privacy software and share it freely with the world as their gift to human knowledge.  It's beautiful to know we do not have to settle for the world which we are given.  It's beautiful to know the outcome of all this is not and never has been preordained.  Privacy is one hell of a social battle to be fought, but it can be fought and it can even be won.  As disheartening as it might be to realize that privacy is losing, it is also immensely cheering to know it has not lost, and the outcome is still in doubt.
> 
> This year, as with previous years, I'm donating money to the EFF in honor of GnuPG, the developers, the community, and the privacy fight.  I wish I could donate to GnuPG directly, but that's infeasible for a whole lot of reasons and I suspect the EFF is as good a proxy as any.
> 
> Thank you all.  Keep up the good work.  :)
> 
> 
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> 

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