This BBC news story describes the extraordinary proposal from Microsoft that computers should need a "health certificate to be allowed to connect to the internet.

Never mind that the fact that so many of them are sick is a direct result of the poor design of the operating systems (designed by Microsoft) that they are running.

But if you are thinking there is any possible merit in such a proposal at all (after all, it would reduce spam and virus infections) read this discussion by John Gilmore on LWN.

If, in the future, all end user devices are totally locked down and under surveillance, it will be as a result of going down this kind of road to hell paved with apparent good intentions.