Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!sci34hub!gary From: gary@sci34hub.sci.com (Gary Heston) Newsgroups: comp.unix.admin Subject: Re: IRC and Security Message-ID: <1991Mar21.162220.15612@sci34hub.sci.com> Date: 21 Mar 91 16:22:20 GMT References: <7753@uceng.UC.EDU> <1991Mar13.232433.3162@athena.mit.edu> <5077:Mar1805:03:4491@kramden.acf.nyu.edu> Reply-To: gary@sci34hub.sci.com (Gary Heston) Organization: SCI Technology, Inc., Huntsville, Al. Lines: 39 In article <5077:Mar1805:03:4491@kramden.acf.nyu.edu> brnstnd@kramden.acf.nyu.edu (Dan Bernstein) writes: >You can toss around ``considerations'' all you want, but it is generally >illegal to do anything on the academic networks that isn't for research >Such use of academic networks is almost certainly illegal. >contribute so strongly to illegal behavior: any communications medium >You may argue that it's not your responsibility to worry about illegal >behavior. You just shouldn't criticize those who do. I suggest you go learn the difference between "illegal" and "improper". Using some of the academic networks for things like newsfeeds would be outside the guidelines established for those networks, and therefore improper. It's not, however, a violation of any law, and describing it as "illegal" is incorrect and makes you look sensationalist rather than having a legitimate argument. Did you post your article over an acedemic network? If so, why? It's not research, and therefore, by your own characterizations, it was illegal. Go turn yourself in to the local internet police office for booking.... While you're there, you can learn correct terminology. "Illegal" behavior is that which directly violates LAW, not school rules (or NSF guidelines). Sending a note to someone across country that you'll drop by for a visit next week isn't illegal. Giving several people the password to you account isn't illegal. FTPing a GIF image of Garfield to someone isn't illegal. They might be in violation of school policies or NSF guidelines (or stupid), but they are not crimes and your repeated characterization of them as such is incorrect. -- Gary Heston System Mismanager and technoflunky uunet!sci34hub!gary or My opinions, not theirs. SCI Systems, Inc. gary@sci34hub.sci.com I support drug testing. I believe every public official should be given a shot of sodium pentathol and ask "Which laws have you broken this week?".