The Electronic Identity
                          Robert Parson

                         Arming for Peace


       For almost three years now we've watched the former Soviet
  Union change from a socialist government to a nominally
  democratic form of government.  Because the United States is no
  longer immediately threatened by a major superpower, we've been
  "building down" our military forces, specifically our nuclear
  capability.

       We've heard a lot about the "peace dividend," in which we
  turn swords into plowshares.  As good as that sounds, we must
  also look at the other side of the coin.  There's much concern
  about turning military facilities into civilian facilities.  Many
  employees are losing their jobs as manufacturing plants close or
  scale down production.  That includes research and development as
  well.

       The people that are losing their jobs are highly skilled
  laborers and scientists.  Most of them will find work, if not in
  their normal line of work, then in something related.  But what
  about those who don't?  Are they destined for a life on welfare
  and food stamps?

       I don't think so.  We have a great entrepreneurial spirit in
  our country.  A good many of those people will go to work for
  themselves. That means more technological wonders will go
  directly to the marketplace without first passing through the
  military filter.

       As I'm sure you are aware, an extremely high percentage of
  technological marvels are developed by the government for use by
  the Defense Department, such as weather satellites.  A good chunk
  are developed for scientific and research purposes.  Velcro, for
  instance. Velcro was developed for use by astronauts to walk
  around in a weightless environment.  Ask me about neckties
  sometime...

       These people are going to be walking around with information
  spilling out of their heads that they can use for purposes other
  than building weapons.  Some of that information may be
  classified and cannot be used for years, and in some cases
  decades.  But the knowledge is still there waiting to be tapped.
  Maybe something learned while developing a missile guidance
  system can be used to speed up harddrive access.

       With the phone, cable and computer companies jockeying for
  position on the National Data Highway, there will likely be many
  of these displaced workers looking to make a place to help create
  the future of communications in the U.S.  They have the
  knowledge, they have the connections and they are ready to take a
  crack at it, for a price.

                               ----

       As I got to work on this column, Vice President Al Gore had
  just unveiled plans for the National Data Highway.  The on-ramp
  is just a few years away.

       Prodigy recently turned over some E-Mail messages to police
  in Medina, Washington.  A 14 year old girl allegedly wrote the
  messages to her boyfriend in which she threatened the life of Cal
  Ripken Jr. of the Baltimore Orioles.  I'm sure she got a very
  stern talking-to by lawmen and her parents.

       Even though I think this is very serious I am still quite
  concerned about how Prodigy officials were able to find this out.
  I know they routinely scan public message bases, but this is the
  first time I've heard of them going through private E-Mail.  What
  else have they found out over the years?

       The Justice Department wants you to know that Pedophiles,
  people that engage in sexual activities with minors and collect
  child pornography, are using BBSs and E-Mail to further their
  sick habits. They say parents should watch their children's
  E-Mail to make sure they aren't being contacted by pedophiles.
  So far, there have been a few state cases, but no federal cases.

       When I first read about that warning I was very upset.  Once
  again BBSs are being singled out as sources of evil in our
  country. I'll be the first to admit there are some people that
  are using new technology to gain access to children.  But the
  general public is getting the impression that Sysops and Users
  are a rather shady group of people.

       At One BBSCon, there was discussion on forming a lobby group
  to look after the interests of BBSs.  I think this is an
  exceptional idea and when it gets rolling we need to support it's
  efforts.  Maybe we can begin to stem the tide of bad Public
  Relations.


                                             (c) 1993 Robert Parson