Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!uflorida!haven!uvaarpa!murdoch!astsun9.astro.Virginia.EDU!gl8f From: gl8f@astsun9.astro.Virginia.EDU (Greg Lindahl) Newsgroups: alt.bbs Subject: Re: BBS Birthdays. Message-ID: <1990Jan17.035305.29494@murdoch.acc.Virginia.EDU> Date: 17 Jan 90 03:53:05 GMT References: <33661.25b18c71@kontu.utu.fi> <6851@wpi.wpi.edu> Sender: news@murdoch.acc.Virginia.EDU Reply-To: gl8f@astsun.astro.Virginia.EDU (Greg Lindahl) Organization: Department of Astronomy, University of Virginia Lines: 55 Ireallyam: gl8f In article <6851@wpi.wpi.edu> macman@wpi.wpi.edu (Christopher Silverberg) writes: >If the sysop is using a good piece of software, then he'll be able to >set up areas of a bbs accessible only to certain age groups. The program >will check the birthdate, and then allow/disallow access after comparing >to the current date. Very few of the BBSes in question have such areas... and of those that do, most of them simply have an over-18 areas. So if you have only an over-18 area, it's not that big of a deal for users who have turned 18 leave a message for the sysop asking to be allowed in. This provides no legal protection for the sysop, by the way, against a minor who lies. You ought to collect a notarized piece of paper or something to get some shred of legal protection anyway. I still don't give out my age. >It is absurd that someone would object to giving his birthdate and not object >to the age question... I'm also absurd, it seems. Have you ever considered that other people can be reasonable and disagree with you? > if the user doesn't like it, well, that's one less > bbs he'll be able to use i guess... while the rest of us enjoy the benefits. >It much be pretty boring having your personal life locked up where noone can >see it... So those who disagree have their personal lives locked up? No, I don't like being required to give needless information. By the way, I am 24 and my birthday is April 20. I still won't give this information when I register on a BBS. Nor will I give other needless information such as my social security number or driver's license. >As far as this privacy thing goes, i dont know about all the users, but >I am in the USA... where people have inherent rights? One of these rights is >free speech and the right to ask simple questions. Sure, you have the right to ask me my social security number. And I have the right to not answer. It's not a question of what the rights are, we're talking about what's "reasonable". Most people in the US just want to be reasonable. I gladly tell my birthday to my friends. Perhaps we define "friend" in a different fashion. Oh, you made another posting about a store which uses a driver's license to check personal checks. If that store required a SSN to write a check, I could sue and win. If the store only accepted checks from people over 30, I could sue and win. Retail activities are entirely different from hobby activities such as a BBS. Greg Lindahl gl8f@virginia.edu Astrophysicists for Choice.