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From: smb@mimsy.UUCP (Steve M. Burinsky)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.wizards
Subject: Re: UNIX classified operation - (nf)
Message-ID: <7678@mimsy.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 24-Jul-87 13:09:07 EDT
Article-I.D.: mimsy.7678
Posted: Fri Jul 24 13:09:07 1987
Date-Received: Sat, 25-Jul-87 15:40:13 EDT
Reply-To: smb@mimsy.UUCP (Steve M. Burinsky)
Organization: U of Maryland, Dept. of Computer Science, Coll. Pk., MD 20742
Lines: 45

In article <468@unisoft.UUCP> greywolf@unisoft.UUCP (The Grey Wolf) writes:
>2)  While it may make the machine more "secure", a proper system administrator
>should be on top of things to begin with.  If users get this feeling that
>"Big Brother Is Watching You", they're going to feel a lot less comfortable
>using the machine.  I know I would.  Granted, there are mischievous sorts and
>malevolent sorts (I wouldn't mind the mischievous sorts on my machine--they
>make life interesting!), but I believe in freedoms, not restrictions, and I
>believe in privacy.  Never mind that the Big Brother thing is practically
>happening in real life, that's not the issue...
>	What am I trying to say?  I guess I'm not quite sure.  But I am sure
>	that I don't like to see freedoms violated like they would be.
>	Sure, the honor system doesn't always work, but when it does, people
>	in the environment in which it is used are more appreciative of
>	what they have going for them there.
>	
>					Roan (RO'an) Anderson
>					unisoft!greywolf

You're kidding, right?  1984 came and went without any thinkspeak.  Big Brother
is watching?  Come on -- if you can't handle an accountablility record of what
users are doing, don't use the machine.  Remember, this is about UNIX
classified operation.  If you can't sleep at night knowing that you
might be watched when you log on the next day, tell Big Brother to keep his
security clearance.

"a proper system administrator should be on top of things to begin with."
This obviously didn't happen in [Johnathon Pollard, Arthur Walker, Larry Chin,
Christopher Boyce, and on and on and on and on ...]'s case.

"Sure, the honor system doesn't always work, but when it does..."
This accountability has nothing to do with "when it does", but when it doesn't.
Because the honor system doesn't always work, you need to do some checking.

Do you toss and turn at night because Big Brother is reviewing the zillions of
dollars of electronic fund transfers just to make sure that no one is swindling
a few million here and there?  Should the IRS just take everyone's word that
their tax return is completely correct?  Without this checking, abuse can
become rampant.

Relax.  Big Brother could generally care less what it is you do or say or think.
They just don't have time to.  It's when someone gets out of line that it
matters.
-- 
Steve M. Burinsky
smb@mimsy.umd.edu