Esther Dyson famously argued that as the world will never be perfect, whether online or offline, it is foolish to expect higher standards on the Internet than we accept in `real life'. Legislators are now turning this argument round, and arguing that they have to restrict traditional offline freedoms in order to enable the regulation of cyberspace.
A shocking example is an export control bill currently before Britain's parliament. This will enable Tony Blair's government to impose licensing restrictions on collaborations between scientists in the UK and elsewhere; to take powers to review and suppress scientific papers prior to publication; and even to license foreign students taught by British university teachers.
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