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From: SFH@CMU-CS-C.ARPA
Newsgroups: net.micro
Subject: BBS Confiscation
Message-ID: <1066@sri-arpa.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 22-May-84 07:27:59 EDT
Article-I.D.: sri-arpa.1066
Posted: Tue May 22 07:27:59 1984
Date-Received: Fri, 1-Jun-84 05:45:56 EDT
Lines: 22

I'd also like to know the text of the original message and the charge
facing the sysop, Tom Tcimpidis.

Considering that Pacific telephone made the complaint, perhaps the message
contained information sensitive to them.  Such as how to get around billing
or such.  Was the charge conspiracy to commit theft of services?

Reguardless of the text, I seems (to me) that the seizure was inappropriate.

The form of a communications system is irrelevant.  Freedom of speech
(expression) is guaranteed by the 1st amendment.

The burden of requiring the sysop to examine (and censor) every message
is an unfair burden.

In the case of private messages this examination is clearly an invasion
of personal privacy.

This law does not seem to be applied evenly.  Consider the information
that passes through the mail and over the phone lines.  Not to mention
other computer systems used by universities and the government.
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