🚀 go-pugleaf

Bruce Sterling (bruces@well.sf.ca.us) wrote:

: o       There are about 700 BBSs in the greater Montreal area; the RCMP
:         estimate that three-quarters of them traffic in stolen software.

The RCMP believes that 525 of the 700 BBS systems in Montreal traffic in 
stolen software? That's unbelieveable.  Perhaps the culture is different 
in Canada.

If I had to provide a similar estimate for Austin, I'd say somewhere 
between 5 and 10% of the Austin BBSs make unlicensed copies of commercial 
software available to their users.

: o       Some of the BBS have become virtual flea markets of pornography,
:         bomb-making instructions, and details of how to succeed at suicide.

There is a huge media generated controversy in Canada about a web site 
called DeathNet.  This is sponsored by the Hemlock Society and similiar 
euthanasia advocates of the "right to die" for terminally ill patients, 
etc.  Rather than just saying, no, we oppose your political point of 
view, it's being portrayed as a recruiting call and encouragement of suicide.

There's also a potential crackdown brewing in the U.S. over the 
bomb-making text files because of the Oklahoma City explosion.



--
David Smith	          *  Calendar of way cool Austin e-things:   
bladex@bga.com            *  April 17th -- Celebrity.Net.Crisis.of.the.month
President, EFF-Austin     *  April 18th -- John Henry Faulk conference
Board of Directors, CTCLU *  April 29th -- Eyore's Birthday party