[IP] Just Say No to Viruses and Worms

[Dave Farber <dave@farber.net>]

I will, in the interests of family values not state my opinion of 
Schwartz's idea. djf


> Date: Thu, 11 Sep 2003 11:17:09 -0400
> From: Claudio Gutiérrez <gutierrezclaudio@terra.cl>
> Subject: Just Say No to Viruses and Worms
> To: dave@farber.net
>
> Members of the computing industry and law enforcement testified before the
> technology subcommittee of the House Committee on Government Reform Wednesday
> about how to protect the nation's computing systems from viruses and worms.
>
> <snip>
>
> Among the solutions proposed were better standards for producing secure
> software, computing ethics education directed at children, increased 
> funding and
> training for computer forensics to catch hackers and virus writers, and
> protocols for information sharing that would aid in capturing perpetrators
> across borders.
>
> But perhaps the most controversial suggestion came from John Schwarz, 
> president
> and COO of antivirus firm Symantec, who called for legislation to criminalize
> the sharing of information and tools online that can be used by malicious
> hackers and virus writers.
>
> Virus writers and hackers often learn from each other and share automated 
> tools
> and code on websites. By making it illegal to post malicious code and
> information, Schwarz implied, the number of attacks would be reduced. He 
> did not
> say, though, how legislators would determine the difference between malicious
> information and that used for legitimate security research, or whether such a
> law might compromise freedom of speech.
>
> http://www.wired.com/news/infostructure/0,1377,60391,00.html

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