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[FYI] (Fwd) UK: Academic freedom




------- Forwarded message follows -------
To:             	ukcrypto@chiark.greenend.org.uk
Subject:        	Academic freedom
Date sent:      	Thu, 07 Feb 2002 18:03:33 +0000
From:           	Ross Anderson <Ross.Anderson@cl.cam.ac.uk>
Send reply to:  	ukcrypto@chiark.greenend.org.uk


We've just realised over the last few days that the Export Control
Bill, currently before the Lords, gives ministers the power of
pre-publication review over scientific papers.

In the past, scientific discoveries could be classified if the
scientist applied for a patent, but not if the results were simply
published; this is seen by Whitehall not as a fundamental freedom, but
as a loophole that needs to be quietly closed.

I have thrown together a web page with the background and the most
relevant links:

 http://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/users/rja14/exportbill.html

If you're an academic, or a foreign national living in the UK and
working with technology, or a British citizen who derives income from
technology exports, this bill could be bad news. In fact, I hope
everyone who cares about freedom will consider it to be unacceptable.

If you're a journalist, I hope it's a story you can run with,

Ross Anderson



------- End of forwarded message -------


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