As we grapple with how to use the Internet all sorts of crazy things occur, indicating that there is, thankfully, still a Wild West side to the communications network.

I'll be optimistic enough to say the Internet is helping to deomocraticise a world which control freaks are constantly trying to hammer down.

And as in any democracy (and the Wild West) we'll have to live with the bad and the ugly to maintain the health of the good. The Internet is the vocal organ for anyone who has never had a voice before. It's also the outlet for weird, sick and racist people.

We should be willing to live with the bad and the ugly so we can have the other. Besides it's great to know thine enemy.

Certainly big entities are getting teed off at the broadsides being launched at them from the Internet, and in the process they're trying to shut down legitimate debate and criticism. I'm always surprised at what thin skins the big boys have when someone jabs at them. I guess they remember that a number of good jabs can bring down a heavyweight fighter.

One example of a good jabber is gadfly Brian Hazlehurst who from Brazil is taking on Halifax Plc over the Internet because he and others were excluded from a share handout scheme. Some Bermuda residents have joined his cause. Mr.

Hazlehurst said he calls his campaign a "noise storm''.

Another Internet "noise storm'' was being created by options trader Porter Davis until the big bad Toronto Stock Exchange (TSE) shut him down, according the Wall Street Journal.

Mr. Davis wrote messages almost everyday for the past year on Silicon Investor (www.techstocks.com) criticising the TSE for bad management and suggested that its president should be fired.

The TSE finally had enough this month and sent him a letter threatening a lawsuit for "defamatory material'' although the exchange has so far refused to identify what was libelous. Mr. Davis caved in and posted his last message: "They win. I quit.. .I can't jeopardise my family's future in a fight with the TSE.'' It's a typical example of what's called "media chill'' in Canada -- the shutting down of legitimate stories by the threat of a lawsuit since many newspapers cannot afford the legal fees to defend themselves.

The TSE action is an example of what could destroy the Internet as a means of self-expression. What's more worrisome is this is the first time the TSE has taken any such action against criticism.

Thankfully, Silicon Investor has stood by Mr. Davis even though the TSE has also lobbed a similar threat at the company. You can still read Mr. Davis' posts at the Silicon site.

Even more heartening has been the response of the Internet community, and I think in this case we can still call it a community -- a gathering of individuals.

Those concerned have posted hundreds of messages bashing the TSE since the chilling of Mr. Davis. Some have even challenged the TSE to sue them. In this way the TSE response has backfired, because the exchange, like Halifax Plc.

has received much unwanted attention from the media as a result.

There's nothing like a couple of financial hounds digging up the dirt to get a corporation with something to hide backtracking quickly.

We can amend the injunction a newspaper owner once said in admonishing a politician: "Never argue with a man who buys ink by the barrel''. The cyber injunction is: "Never argue with someone who has a computer and a connection.'' For all those concerned about security over the Internet, don't forget the two-day seminar on the subject being held June 30 and July 1 at the Royal Hamilton Amateur Dinghy Club. The seminar is hosted by the Bermuda chapter of the Information Systems Audit and Control Association along with Logic Communications Ltd.

It's really a techie seminar and will discuss the more arcane matters that most of us never penetrate -- or thank goodness never have to. We only want to know if the thingie works.

Lou Hernandez, president of the Audit Reengineering and Training Institute, will be presenting topics during the course of the two days.

"Adequate control in connected environments will be defined and discussed including how to protect information assets within and outside the control of your enterprise domain,'' the seminar brochure states. "Specific issues and audit methods relating to TCP P, client erver environments, DNS and firewalls will be introduced and discussed.'' The seminar costs $525 for non-members. For information contact Marcia Williams at 295-2000 ext. 331.

Tech Tattle is a column about technology and computer-related issues. You can contact Ahmed at 295-5881 ext. 248, or 238-3854, or techtattle ygazette.newsmedia.bm.