Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!sol.ctr.columbia.edu!emory!gatech!prism!gt4662b
From: gt4662b@prism.gatech.EDU (BRANHAM,JOSEPH FRANKLIN)
Newsgroups: comp.org.eff.talk
Subject: Re: Computer Porn? Aaaaagh!
Message-ID: <25219@hydra.gatech.EDU>
Date: 29 Mar 91 15:55:12 GMT
References: <1991Mar18.223347.45852@vaxb.acs.unt.edu> <63349@bbn.BBN.COM> <1991Mar21.124347.45868@vaxb.acs.unt.edu>
Organization: Georgia Institute of Technology
Lines: 44

In article <1991Mar21.124347.45868@vaxb.acs.unt.edu>, cirby@vaxb.acs.unt.edu (((((C.Irby))))) writes:
> In article <63349@bbn.BBN.COM>, cosell@bbn.com (Bernie Cosell) writes:
> > cirby@vaxb.acs.unt.edu (((((C.Irby))))) writes:
> 
> > For good or ill, it is quite illegal to distribute "pornography" to
> > minors in almost any circumstance [and even to adults in some].  People
> > who run an 'adult book store' have a positive duty to prevent that
> > material from selling their wares to minors, why should a BBS operator
> > be any different?  Or are you arguing that one should be exempt from
> > obeying the laws simply because one is on the other side of a modem?
> > 
> 
> Most of the BBSes down here do *some* checking, and the adult boards 
> tend to do more checking than the regular ones.  The story *did* say
> that the adult boards checked applicants out.
> 
> We're not talking about "being exempt from laws."  We're talking about
> being accused of distributing porn to minors- with NO apparent evidence
> of a crime.

I get lots of non-electronic mail from places that will happily sell you
that material which gets grouped under the word pornographic. On the order
forms, there is a box which is labled something like "I really am 18 and
I understand that many states do not approve of the stuff I am ordering."

That's it. When I was 18, any BBS I was on that carried any pornographics
material usually required a telephone conversation with the SYSOP. At the
very least, a notice to the effect of the above labled box should be
all that is needed.

Of course the people who probably made this news feature obviously had very
little idea of what the EFF is like. (The comment on downloading porn "videos"
seem to imply that.) And of course, the parents-who have no earthly idea of
what their teen/child spends all his time "up there with the computer" get
very nervous because its an alien world to many people.

Of course much of this commentary is drawn from personal experience....

Moo.
-- 
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