If we allow ourselves to be drawn into a legislative, “Let’s pass a law on what Menu Item 1 means,” we’ve already lost the battle. We have protections under the Constitution of the United States, and I want to see them applied online!
Predictor: Rickard, Jack
Prediction, in context:Jack Rickard made the following statement in a panel presentation titled “Electronic Speech, Press & Assembly” at the 1991 Conference on Computers, Freedom and Privacy, sponsored by Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility. He responds to the question, “Can you agree that maybe we don’t need regulation from Washington but we do need protection now from Washington?” by saying: ”Yeah, I think we do … If we allow ourselves to be drawn into a legislative, ‘Let’s pass a law on what Menu Item 1 means,’ we’ve already lost the battle. We have protections under the Constitution of the United States, and I want to see them applied online! If you’re going to look at constraining Big Brother and the technology he uses, you are always playing a catch-up game. Whatever you’ve just outlawed him using, there’s something else coming down the pike. The approach to personal liberty should be the empowerment of the individual through their technology to be able to play the game as well. I don’t think that simply constraining our government based on what happened last year is the most effective way to assure our personal freedoms. The new technologies offer you, as individuals, survival mechanisms to ensure your own liberty in the future.”
Biography:Jack Rickard, the editor/publisher of Boardwatch Magazine, the magazine of the 1990s home-grown BBS industry, was also co-founder of the Online Networking Exposition and BBS Convention (ONE BBSCON). (Pioneer/Originator.)
Date of prediction: March 28, 1991
Topic of prediction: Global Relationships/Politics
Subtopic: Government
Name of publication: Proceedings of the First Conference on Computers, Freedom & Privacy
Title, headline, chapter name: Electronic Speech, Press & Assembly
Quote Type: Direct quote
Page number or URL of document at time of study:
Page 171
This data was logged into the Elon/Pew Predictions Database by: Schmidt, Nicholas