🚀 go-pugleaf

rgd@inforamp.net (Bob Daniel) wrote:

>> : The other angle is this matter of foreknowledge.  Istar can't reasonably
>> : be expected to monitor all web traffic, email etc. for illegal content.
>> : (And don't even SUGGEST it!!!)(grin)   But they CAN be resonably sure
>> : that there will always be SOME "illegal content"  in SOME of
>these                                                newsgroups.
>> 
>> So they can't monitor IRC, FTP, and e-mail traffic yet they can monitor 
>> 6000+ (rough estimate) UseNet newsgroups and somehow screen what is 
>> contained within. If van.general was bombarded with illegal material for 
>> a matter of months that is crossposted from banned newsgroups, would 
>> van.general be up for removal/banning?
>> 
>This would certainly test the logic of their decision to the max.
>I once suggested ironically that we bombard ALL the groups
>with smut, then demand they all be removed.
>Feel free to get the ball rolling on that one ... <i>

>But the party line is that the removed groups are self-described in their
>own online descriptions and FAQs as (arguably) containing illegal material.

Another point is that since the groups carry binaries (I think, I
don't have the list right now), and you can't run the programs/look at
the pictures without special equipment such as an uu-decoder, Istar is
actually not giving you anything illegal. 
Once you do that, you have changed the text transmitted, and that's
your problem, not Istar's.
It's not illegal to tell someone where to get certain information, is
it?

 - Sten Thaning (Sten.thaning@mbox200.swipnet.se)




--
             First they came for the hackers.
      But I never did anything illegal with my computer,
                     so I didn't speak up.
            Then they came for the pornographers.
 But I thought there was too much smut on the Internet anyway,
                     so I didn't speak up.
         Then they came for the anonymous remailers.
    But a lot of nasty stuff gets sent from anon.penet.fi,
                     so I didn't speak up.
          Then they came for the encryption users.
     But I could never figure out how to work PGP anyway,
                     so I didn't speak up.
                   Then they came for me.
      And by that time there was no one left to speak up.

                        -- Unknown --