Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!watmath!iuvax!mailrus!uunet!bfmny0!tneff
From: tneff@bfmny0.UU.NET (Tom Neff)
Newsgroups: comp.mail.misc
Subject: Re: Link to GEnie
Message-ID: <14938@bfmny0.UU.NET>
Date: 20 Nov 89 17:31:46 GMT
References: <1989Nov10.171006.10373@monymsys.uucp> <748@lakart.UUCP> <1989Nov20.015352.4051@monymsys.uucp>
Reply-To: tneff@bfmny0.UU.NET (Tom Neff)
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In article <1989Nov20.015352.4051@monymsys.uucp> david@monymsys.UUCP (David Kozinn) writes:
> Another consideration with [a GEnie link]
>going through an individual gateway involves security. Sure, any mail going
>out through the internet can easily be read, altered, etc. by anyone with the
>proper privs on any machine that it goes through, but I'm sure that GE's
>lawyers are closely studying the ramifications of passing relatively secure,
>private mail (originating on GEnie) out through the non-secure,
>non-guaranteed-delivery world of the internet. 

Surely this is a non-issue.  Just as with FAX and snail mail delivery
options, once it's out GEnie's door their liability is at an end.  They
need do no more than make this clear in the Internet link documentation.
The bottom line is, CIS and MCIMAIL do it, so GEnie will do it sooner or
later to compete.

Nevertheless a private gateway could be a real nuisance, as GEnie loses
control over how the feature is being implemented.  And while they may
have little legal liability for gateway security and reliability, it's
still in their competitive business interest to make any gateway the
best it can be.  Joe Schmoe noodling messages along as and when he feels
like it does not put GEnie's best foot forward in the net.sweepstakes.

I wouldn't be surprised if the biggest hurdle to a gateway right now
were those gas-powered Victorian mainframes they use...

-- 
"Of course, this is a, this is a Hunt, you   |  Tom Neff
will -- that will uncover a lot of things.   |  tneff@bfmny0.UU.NET
You open that scab, there's a hell of a lot
of things... This involves these Cubans, Hunt, and a lot of hanky-panky
that we have nothing to do with ourselves." -- RN 6/23/72