Thread View: ne.nearnet.tech
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Started by jnaro
Wed, 30 Sep 1992 20:30
RE: A Local High School wanting to do DIAL-UP slip???
Author: jnaro
Date: Wed, 30 Sep 1992 20:30
Date: Wed, 30 Sep 1992 20:30
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Hello Narayanan,
We do not fully understand the legal liabilities of allowing children
onto a network which would provide them access to information which is
inappropriate, e.g., pornographic. We have been working with MIT legal
counsel and the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) to delineate the
legal and social ramifications of allowing K-12 schools unlimited
access to the Internet.
We want to facilitate the establishment of a good solid partnership
between K-12 and the Internet. So, we will continue our efforts by
meeting with the EFF to discuss these issues and how to best handle
them. Our first objective is to find a clear statement of the issues.
Second, we want to learn from other network providers who have dealt
with them. (Many have simply avoided them). Third, we want to arrive
at an approach to K-12 which makes sense in the long-term for NEARnet,
our members and the schools.
For the short-term, however, members of the NEARnet Steering and
Planning committees have agreed that NEARnet policy should be designed
to allow for interested parties to use their connections to support
K-12 connection efforts. Previously the NEARnet member agreement
restricted the use of NEARnet to the organization's employees,
faculty, students, staff and other individuals related to the member.
By vote of both committees, NEARnet changed this policy to allow
members to extend access to guest accounts at member facilities to
their local school systems.
Currently the feeling is that more advanced access, like the dial-up
SLIP connection you referred to, should be provided via a service such
as NEARnet or a state education network, due to the support
requirements. Again, this is still subject to liability issues, which
need to be resolved. Providing such access may be an alternative as we
better understand these issues, however.
NEARnet's next Planning Committee meeting is October 16. We expect to
address access issues as part of the K-12 Subcommittee break-out
session. If there is anything you would like to contribute please send
me email. Also you can send email to NEARnet's k-12 mailing list
("nearnet-k12@nic.near.net"), which includes other members of the k-12
subcommittee and those folks interested in supporting k-12.
I will post results from the EFF meeting and the k-12 subcommittee
meeting to the k-12 mailing list and cc you. Based on the demand for
k-12 access NEARnet will most likely arrange another k-12 workshop
sometime in early '93.
If you want to talk about this some more please feel free to call me
at (617)873-2899.
Thanks,
Jim Naro
NEARnet Client Services
Re: A Local High School wanting to do DIAL-UP slip???
Author: Ofer Inbar
Date: Sat, 03 Oct 1992 17:04
Date: Sat, 03 Oct 1992 17:04
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jnaro@nic.near.net writes: >We do not fully understand the legal liabilities of allowing children >onto a network which would provide them access to information which is >inappropriate, e.g., pornographic. We have been working with MIT legal >counsel and the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) to delineate the >legal and social ramifications of allowing K-12 schools unlimited >access to the Internet. Any child can walk up to Out of Town News at Harvard Square and browse through Playboy, Penthouse, Hustler, etc. The same is true at countless other stores and newsstands. Who is responsible? Who is liable? When I was in elementary school, I would often go to the Brookline Public Library and read in the afternoons. Among the books I read were "Our Bodies, Ourselves," "How to Say No to a Rapist, and Survive," and some short fiction by Anais Nin. Who was responsible? Who was liable? More importantly, was this a problem at all? (NO!) This whole issue is completely ridiculous, and deserves to be ignored. By even treating it as a problem, we lend credence to the notion that certain information/ideas/data is 'inappropriate' and should not be dissminated to certain people. If someone comes up and complains, that is the time to deal with it, with an attitude of "what is *your* problem, complainer?" -- Cos (Ofer Inbar) -- cos@chaos.cs.brandeis.edu -- WBRS (BRiS) -- WBRS@binah.cc.brandeis.edu WBRS@brandeis.bitnet "Good literature is about Love and War." "Junk fiction is about Sex and Violence."
Re: A Local High School wanting to do DIAL-UP slip???
Author: Warren Lavallee
Date: Mon, 05 Oct 1992 12:58
Date: Mon, 05 Oct 1992 12:58
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cos@chaos.cs.brandeis.edu (Ofer Inbar) writes: >jnaro@nic.near.net writes: >>We do not fully understand the legal liabilities of allowing children >>onto a network which would provide them access to information which is >>inappropriate, e.g., pornographic. We have been working with MIT legal >>counsel and the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) to delineate the >>legal and social ramifications of allowing K-12 schools unlimited >>access to the Internet. > Any child can walk up to Out of Town News at Harvard Square and >browse through Playboy, Penthouse, Hustler, etc. The same is true at >countless other stores and newsstands. Who is responsible? Who is >liable? I agree with the Nearnet staff. Pornography is inappropriate for children. (You don't see it in the school libraries do you?) I also think it is going to VERY hard to regulate the connection to make sure it is unavailable. (No ftp would help a great deal.) I'm sure if this connection is allowed, then some will leak through, and a parent will be very upset, and this will have to be tested in the courts to see who is liable. > When I was in elementary school, I would often go to the Brookline >Public Library and read in the afternoons. Among the books I read >were "Our Bodies, Ourselves," "How to Say No to a Rapist, and >Survive," and some short fiction by Anais Nin. Who was responsible? >Who was liable? That wasn't a public school library. > More importantly, was this a problem at all? (NO!) Big yes. > This whole issue is completely ridiculous, and deserves to be >ignored. By even treating it as a problem, we lend credence to the >notion that certain information/ideas/data is 'inappropriate' and >should not be disseminated to certain people. If someone comes up and >complains, that is the time to deal with it, with an attitude of "what >is *your* problem, complainer?" Right. I take it you wouldn't care if the public school libraries had X-rated magazine's and movies in them. First you get the children's books that describe Homosexuality as being OK, then X-rated magazines, then X-rated video tapes... You start with something little, or a vague law, then you test it, and work it in slowly. I'm sorry, but I still have morals and values, and pornography in schools is definitely NOT part of them. But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. Matt. 5:28 -- Root out the cause, not the effects. Be | true Do not distort the truth. --+-- Pay attention. | Unbeliever Work: warren@beloved.unidesk.com Compu$erve: 76450,3463 answer | the call.
Re: A Local High School wanting to do DIAL-UP slip???
Author: John Curran
Date: Wed, 07 Oct 1992 05:20
Date: Wed, 07 Oct 1992 05:20
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In article <cos.718131871@chaos.cs.brandeis.edu> cos@chaos.cs.brandeis.edu (Ofer Inbar) writes: >jnaro@nic.near.net writes: >>We do not fully understand the legal liabilities of allowing children >>onto a network which would provide them access to information which is >>inappropriate, e.g., pornographic. We have been working with MIT legal >>counsel and the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) to delineate the >>legal and social ramifications of allowing K-12 schools unlimited >>access to the Internet. > > Any child can walk up to Out of Town News at Harvard Square and >browse through Playboy, Penthouse, Hustler, etc. The same is true at >countless other stores and newsstands. Who is responsible? Who is >liable? Cos, Sorry I did not reply earlier... I check the newsgroup infrequently. By no means does NEARnet (or its members) want to exercise control over what k-12 students have access to. That is a decision that the schools, students, and parents have to make for themselves. The difficult part is insuring that these same groups (schools, students, and parents) understand and accept that NEARnet has no liability in this manner. The problem is that our current laws are rather agressive in these areas, and that legal actions are generally targeted at the largest organization with liability. Unlike a stray magazine (which could have come from any newsstand), material arriving through an Internet connection is assured of having passed through NEARnet. At this time, we cannot provide direct and open K-12 connections without risking NEARnet itself. This is an unfortunate situation, but necessary until we have determined how to both socially and legally protect our members interests. In the interim, members are free to provide access to K-12 via host accounts. Many educators have indicated that simply having email can make all the difference in the classroom. If you want to get involved in this, please send email to myself (jcurran@nic.near.net) or Jim Naro (jnaro@nic.near.net) and we'll match you up with a local school that's interested. /John
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