Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!akgua!mcnc!decvax!harpo!ulysses!mhuxl!houxm!ihnp4!zehntel!hplabs!sri-unix!jsweet@UCI-750A.ARPA From: jsweet@UCI-750A.ARPA Newsgroups: net.micro Subject: Re: BBS Confiscation Message-ID: <1091@sri-arpa.UUCP> Date: Tue, 22-May-84 13:57:17 EDT Article-I.D.: sri-arpa.1091 Posted: Tue May 22 13:57:17 1984 Date-Received: Fri, 1-Jun-84 21:02:26 EDT Lines: 21 From: Jerry Sweet Although it's probably useless to speculate on the exact nature of the message that caused the phone company to file the complaint, one may still make some guesses. The telecom discussion list once had an interesting discussion on the subject of blue boxing and the legal implications thereof. Someone pointed out that it was a violation of federal law to have such a discussion (at the technical level), and the moderator promptly suspended the discussion, with the wry note, "let's not have any more felonies on telecom, okay?" I trust that I'm not doing a disservice by bringing that discussion (which was a while ago) under public scrutiny, but it does serve to point out that CENSORSHIP IS ALIVE AND WELL UNDER OUR DEMOCRACY! If it were to come to a legal test, it is quite possible that the first amendment would win out, but one never knows. If it's legal to publish plans for building a thermonuclear device, I suspect that the crime of describing the workings of a blue box pales by comparison. -jns