> This project is meant to remind politicians, bureaucrats, and busy-bodies everywhere that attempting to restrict distribution of code is both pragmatically preposterous and a violation of free speech.
It's not code. It's data. And we already have tremendous amounts of precedent for restricting the distribution of data considered verboten. The simplest example would be CP (which, heck, is already images).
True, but I think the argument being made is similar to the absurdities that exist in Australia where it is illegal to _sell_ cigarettes to people under 18 and it's illegal to _buy_ cigarettes for people under 18 but it's not illegal for people to smoke cigarettes under 18 - unsurprisingly people under 18 _do_ still manage to get their hands on cigarettes and no one asks questions at that point. Surely the purpose of the laws was to prevent people under 18 from smoking cigarettes - why not make a law for exactly that? I think the 3D printable guns issue is similar - banning the distribution of a substance but not outright banning the substance is absurd.
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[ 2.6 ms ] story [ 17.2 ms ] threadIt's not code. It's data. And we already have tremendous amounts of precedent for restricting the distribution of data considered verboten. The simplest example would be CP (which, heck, is already images).
The intent of those cigarette laws is to stop minors from getting their hands on cigarettes. It’s not intended to make criminals of kids.