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Looking at some regulations and reflecting on them, somewhat:
Certain disturbing regulations (or would-be regulations)
Britain:
- Encryption keys: Police can get the private key from a person. This person is
then prohibited from telling the other user/s of the list or group about this.
- All programmers need to be licensed with the state.
Italy:
- A journalist license is required to publish on the web. This I think also
applies to even paticipating in mailing lists, or discussion groups.
- All software needs to be certified for usage. The certification system is so
cumbersome and unfriendly that only a few software producers will have the
resources to apply and then get the certification. And according to Patrice
(patrice@xxxxxxxxx) the police are very active in enforcement.
What is significant here is that these regulations are not `content`
regulations but `tools` regulations. They are trying to work out modalities of
usage and directionalities of `tools`.
The last decade or so has seen a massive proliferation of everyday `tools` that
make possible diverse ways of software production, of forming groups, of
creating sharing circuits, of creating indeterminate communication orbits.
(e.g Napster, listserve, countless free softwares etc.)
The earlier regulation regimes did the same with radio. It was pushed from the
domain of communication to a broadcasting medium, ie from being a transmitter
as well it was reduced to being only a receiver for most public. Transmitter/
receiver technological combinations was massively resisted but regulations
devised a comprehensive and contained system of broadcaster and receivers/
consumers. Now it seems almost natural that the radio is what it seems to be...
It would be interesting to look at various regulations around `tools`, along
with specific histories of `tools` to see how `tools` re-constitute practices,
social interactivity and possibilities. Maybe it will help us to understand the
present juncture, and be more inventive within this regulation madness.
A small side remark. When I am talking about `tools`, I would understand that
it would include various practices that make these `tools` emerge/dynamised
within the public imagination. For example, after seeing Graham Harwood's
imaginative and radical use of the scanner in his `Rehearsals of Memory`, I
realised the tremendous potential of scanners.
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