Watching the battle over downloadable gun designs play out is a lot like following the controversy around Napster and shared music files. And both remind J.D. Tuccille of early-internet efforts by the French government to suppress Le Grand Secret, a tell-too-much (said officials) confessional by President Francois Mitterand’s personal physician.
The earlier efforts at restrictions failed spectacularly, and the latest is bound to flounder, too—for the same reasons. Increasingly, in this digital age, prohibitions and restrictions are running up against the limits of state authority, notes Tuccille. The urge to suppress runs up against targets which have no form, shape, or fixed location, and can be infinitely reproduced.
from Hit & Run https://ift.tt/2MMQBgE
via IFTTT