From: andersa@Riga.DoCS.UU.SE (Anders Andersson)
Subject: Re: LDS Database Acess?
Organization: Uppsala University, Sweden
Date: Thu, 3 Sep 1992 19:01:01 GMT

In article <1992Sep2.213037.23821@acuson.com>, lawson@acuson.com (Drew Lawson) writes:
> >Is it possible to search the LDS Dabase or download information from it
> >via some mail- or FTP-service?

> The second hand information I have heard is that there is no, and will
> be no, electronic access from outside to the LDS genealogical data.
> The information is considered too important to risk _any_ possiblity of
> damage by hackers.
> 
> The answer I heard was on the topic of providing modem lines, but I
> assume that the policy would be universal.

I understand from your writing that you are only relating somebody
else's argument, and maybe the LDS themselves aren't on soc.roots,
so I don't expect an authoritative reply to my rebuttal of this
argument, but here goes for anybody's consumption:

I agree that the information provided is of ultimate importance to
its users, but it doesn't make sense to protect every copy of it as
if it were the invaluable original.  I don't know the details of
what this database contains, but I assume it's accessible in some
form to visitors at least?  Now, why the assumption that you can
do things via a modem that you can't do being on site yourself?
Sounds like the kind of assumption required to make the plot of a
bad science fiction movie fit together...  After all, some hackers
are genealogists too (me included), and I assume the visitors to
the site aren't screened for hidden floppies or something?

If the LDS is still not convinced, the obvious solution would be
for somebody to visit the place, obtain a copy of the entire
database, bring it 'outside' and set up a separate shop with modem
access next door.  If the LDS would have any trouble with this, it
must have something to do with copyright.  Does it apply here?
Does it make a difference whether the entity setting up the
'separate shop' would be a sub-branch of the LDS themselves?

Unfortunately, I've seen this kind of argument before: A Swedish
investigation into the issue of providing better public access
to public records turned down the suggestion of providing them
in electronic/digital form to users bringing their own software
for search and retrieval, due to the risk of computer viruses!

Naturally, if you _do_ implement this by setting up a public PC
with write access to official documents written years ago, then
of course a nasty virus might wreak havoc with the legal system,
but I don't consider this a valid reason to turn down the whole
proposal, regardless of technology used.  A public PC with no
write access to the records might turn into a virus hotbed
infecting successive users, even if the official records were
left unharmed.  I would consider either solution plain stupid.
It seems policy decisions are made to fit what's assumed to be
current technology, rather than the other way 'round.

Please don't take this as a _demand_ for access!  Even as I sit
here in Sweden, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
has done a tremendous job of preserving records of human lives,
to the benefit of genealogists world-wide, me included.  I know
of no other voluntary organization or government that can compete
with them in this field.  I feel I have no right to ask them to
spend even more money just to provide me with an enhanced form
of access to their records.  Still, it bothers me when proposals
for such enhancements are turned down for technically bogus
reasons.  I don't blame them for being ignorant; this is largely
due to a media-instigated, irrational fear of hackers or anybody
who happens to know more about technology than the average person.
I hope reason will prevail, and decisions will be made on the
basis of informed argument rather than fearsome buzzwords.

I'm sorry if the tone above is somewhat more polemic than what's
common practice on soc.roots/ROOTS-L.  I do appreciate the quite
informative nature of this newsgroup/list, and I wish it to
continue.  I do believe, however, that the topic of electronic
access to records of our past, public or private, is of general
concern to genealogists everywhere, and that the problem I want
to illustrate is real.
--
Anders Andersson, Dept. of Computer Systems, Uppsala University
Paper Mail: Box 520, S-751 20 UPPSALA, Sweden
Phone: +46 18 183170   EMail: andersa@DoCS.UU.SE
Newsgroups: soc.roots