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.CB COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY AND THE RIGHT OF REPLY


	By assisting the free communication of ideas, the invention of
printing helped make possible political democracy in large states.  By
further assisting the communication of ideas - specifically by creating an
effective right of reply - computer technology make political democracy
more effective and increase the probability that the public will make
well-considered decisions.

	At present, a newspaper, magazine or radio or TV station has
a certain element of monopoly over the attention of its readers.
People with good access to the media, especially government officials,
also have a certain amount of monopoly.  If a newspaper prints an
editorial or slants a news story, people who disagree have a limited
opportunity to reply.  The newspaper may choose not to print a reply,
to give it little space, or to delay it.  Indeed, since its space is
limited by present technology, it can't give much opportunity to reply,
even with the best will.  Sometimes, an objector has access to another
newspaper, but such a reply may not reach the readers of the original
editorial.

	Since such limitations have always existed, we have had to
live with them, and we have.  Now computer technology can overcome
them and everyone can enjoy a complete right of reply to anyone.
The only limitation need be the desire of the readers to read
replies.

	In the foregoing, we have emphasized reply.  An equal possibility
exists for the origination of new material, be it political or literary.


.BB What technology makes possible

	Already some tens of thousands of Americans have computer
terminals in their homes, and additional tens of thousands have
ready access to general-purpose terminals at their places of work.
(We don't count specialized terminals that can only access airline
systems etc.

	When the number of home terminals reaches some critical number,
it will be economical and profitable to create public information
stores into which anyone can put information (for a fee) and from
which anyone can read the information (also for a fee).
The cost of distributing reading material by this method is already
less than that of distributing it mechanically, and the
disparity will widen rapidly.
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John McCarthy
Artificial Intelligence Laboratory
Computer Science Department
Stanford University
Stanford, California 94305

ARPANET: MCCARTHY@SU-AI
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