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This is an abstract for the most recent "Computers and Academic
Freedom News" (CAF-News). Information about CAF-News follows the
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--- begin abstract ---
[Week ending August 30th, 1992

========================== KEY ================================
The words after the numbers are a short PARAPHRASES of the
articles, or QUOTES from them, NOT AN OBJECTIVE SUMMARY and
not necessarily my opinion.
===============================================================

Notes 1 to 5 are responses to a query about policies regarding
possession and use of programs, such as Crack and COPS, which might be
used for unacceptable purposes.

1. At Rice University attempting to gain unauthorized access to a
computer system is prohibited, but merely possessing copies of Crack
or COPS is not. Indeed we regularly use these programs in order to
find and fix potential security holes.
    <BtM0Ko.6zx@rice.edu>

2. Prohibiting users from possessing and using certain programs
doesn't really violate the ideal of free expression, nor does it
amount to banning legal material. Academic freedom is not equivalent
to a blank cheque, and a university is under no obligation to support
any interest shown by students in subjects which they are not enrolled
to study.
    <1992Aug26.174017.1077@ms.uky.edu>

3. System administrators have obligations to the wider community of
network users. They should take steps to ensure that their system
cannot be used as a base from which to attack other systems, and they
should cooperate with other administrators in investigating suspected
cracking activities.
    <1992Aug27.115813.28741@ms.uky.edu>

4. Users and system administrators should cooperate in formulating a
policy regarding permissible and impermissible system usage, but the
administrator, having the best knowledge of the system, should have
the final say.
    <1992Aug28.140932.657@ms.uky.edu>

5. Usage restrictions should be decided upon by a consensus between
all the people involved. Real conflicts of interest are rare and most
cases can be easily settled if all parties are willing to cooperate.
    <1992Aug28.153108.2829@rz.uni-karlsruhe.de>


The remaining articles are on miscellaneous subjects.

6. "If you enjoy full communications privileges (and wish them
extended to others), you WILL, eventually, be offended.  It's part of
the virtual territory." If you don't wish to be offended you should
take steps to avoid reading anything that might offend you.
    <1992Aug24.92353.3596@ms.uky.edu>

7. A letter to the editor of the _Globe & Mail_ condemns the
University of Manitoba's decision to ban alt.sex* and argues the
merits of free speech and free access to information.
    <1992Aug24.205712.7453@zooid.guild.org>

8. In response to a Baylor student's query, Carl Kadie says that it is
unlikely that Baylor University screens Usenet articles one-by-one as
"such an undertaking would be very expensive. On the other hand, it is
not unlikely that Baylor excludes newsgroups based on the school's
religious doctrine."
    <1992Aug27.150751.11322@eff.org>

9. Here is the text of the "Proposed Privacy Guidelines for the NREN"
presented by Marc Rotenberg of CPSR (Computer Professionals for Social
Responsibility) at the Open Forum on Library and Information Service's
Roles in the National Research and Education Network
    <1992Aug30.202432.22763@eff.org>

- Elizabeth]

--- end   abstract ---

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Disclaimer: This CAF-News abstract was compiled by a guest editor or a
regular editor (Paul Joslin, Elizabeth M. Reid, Adam C. Gross, Mark C.
Sheehan, John F. Nixon or Carl M. Kadie). It is not an EFF
publication. The views an editor expresses and editorial decisions he
or she makes are his or her own.


--
Carl Kadie -- I do not represent EFF; this is just me.
 =kadie@eff.org, kadie@cs.uiuc.edu =