[Foundation-l] Latest board resolutions

Mon Jul 31 21:32:01 UTC 2006

I think anyone who thinks Wikipedia should be more famous and more
popular should be excited, rather than fearful, about the prospect of an
out-of-the-blue confiscation of our servers or shutdown.  Such an event
would make us more powerful than ever.

I have said this before, but it is worth repeating... we have very
powerful friends in the U.S. government, in business, in charitable
foundations, in major law schools, etc.

We need to expect that sooner or later, despite our best efforts to
always do the right thing and be kind to everyone, there will be some
kind of frivolous lawsuit against us.  Such is the nature of life in a
litigious nation, and we need to take this seriously in every part of
our planning, of course.

But the idea that the US government is suddenly going to shut us down
(a) is so far fetched that it is hard to even imagine it seriously and
(b) would be something which would make our traffic and popularity
triple or quadruple within just a few weeks, worldwide.

Robert Scott Horning wrote:
> Ray Saintonge wrote:
> 
>> Jack wrote:
>>
>>  
>>
>>>>>> I'm just not comfortable with leasing period.
>>>>>> I find Wikipedia to be too important to leave in anyone's hands
>>>>>> other than the immediate foundation.  A company that leases
>>>>>> servers may easily give in to legal challenges or other backhanded
>>>>>> threats.
>>>>>> -- mboverload
>>>>>>       
>>>>>>
>>>>>>          
>>>>>>
>>>> It seems rather far fetched to me that a company with a big leasing
>>>> contract like this is going to just decide to break its contract and
>>>> confiscate its servers.
>>>>   
>>>>
>>>>      
>>>>
>>> See "FBI seizes Indymedia servers"
>>> <http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/10/08/1097089554894.html>
>>>
>>>
>>>    
>>>
>> Nothing we do can prevent this kind of activity from the American KGB. 
>>
>> Ec
>>  
>>
> Who said it had to be the FBI for that matter.  The State of Florida is 
> just as capable of messing around like this as well (or other local law 
> enforcement agencies), and likely to screw things up when they try to 
> physcially seize the equipment... or more so since they don't tend to 
> have the technical background of the FBI.
> 

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