[Cryptography] is this feudalism?

J.M. Porup jm at porup.com
Mon Mar 7 11:03:36 EST 2016


On Mon, Mar 07, 2016 at 07:56:48AM -0800, Henry Baker wrote:
> At 11:25 AM 3/6/2016, J.M. Porup wrote:
> >On Sun, Mar 06, 2016 at 08:38:38AM -0800, Ray Dillinger wrote:
> >> On 03/06/2016 07:33 AM, Perry E. Metzger wrote:
> >>
> >> The current state of the art is that providing secure systems
> >> for people who do not participate in working to secure their
> >> systems is extremely hard. 

> > Is this feudalism?
> >
> >Feudalism was a system of government (or protection racket, take your pick) in which armored thugs on horseback ("lords") protected their vassals ("users").
> >
> >Apple protects the peasants, but must pay fealty in turn to the might-is-right gangsters at the FBI.
> >
> >Does this metaphor seem useful to you in terms of better understanding the problem, and explaining it to lay people?
> 
> Be careful what you wish for.
> 
> Some historians attribute the rise of kings & nation-states as a way for the ordinary citizens to rid themselves of their hated local lords.
> 
> But this strategy may have achieved escaping the frying pan by going directly into the fire.

George Orwell endorsed the idea that the invention of the stirrup
created feudalism in Europe:

    http://orwell.ru/library/articles/ABomb/english/e_abomb

Thugs on horseback took power and held it until new technology disrupted
their power base.

Something similar appears to be happening now.

Question: How can we innovate democratic technology to disrupt
the FBI's new role at the top of the feudal pecking order?

jmp




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