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From: david@daisy.UUCP (David Schachter)
Newsgroups: net.news,net.followup
Subject: Re: Posting Correspondence
Message-ID: <71@daisy.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 27-Feb-85 03:47:07 EST
Article-I.D.: daisy.71
Posted: Wed Feb 27 03:47:07 1985
Date-Received: Fri, 1-Mar-85 20:26:33 EST
References: <257@unm-la.UUCP> <286@cmu-cs-k.ARPA> <162@dmsd.UUCP>
Reply-To: david@daisy.UUCP (David Schachter)
Organization: Daisy Systems Corp., Mountain View, Ca
Lines: 29
Xref: watmath net.news:3201 net.followup:4568
Summary: 


Mr. Bass suggests that there is nothing more private about electronic mail
than there is about posting an article.  I disagree.  By the same argument,
there is nothing more private about a single sheet of paper, folded and
stapled shut, left on my boss's chair than there is about a sheet of paper
on a bulletin board.

However the single sheet, folded and stapled, is intended by the sender to
be more private.  If it were meant to be public, it would have been so
posted.  Senders of E-mail have a reasonable expectation that their mail
will remain private.  They do not have an absolute guaranntee: after all,
the networks are not encrypted nor is the software secure.  However, I
believe that participants in electronic mail networks have a moral obligation
to respect the intended privacy of >private< letters.  Morals are, of course,
made up by groups of people.  If enough people disagree with my view of
e-mail privacy, then, by my previous description of morals, my view is wrong.
Is that clear?  Or are the waters getting steadily murkier?

Another example of Mr. Bass's argument, translated to a different communications
medium is that of the telephone call versus a public address system.  By Mr.
Bass's argument, wire-tapping is perfectly ok because it uses the same
medium (copper wire, 24 gauge) as the public address system.

Given the obvious fallacy of this approach and assuming Mr. Bass is an
intelligent person, I am probably mis-interpreting his argument.  If I am,
others are.  Mr. Bass, would you care to post a clarification of your
argument?

[Usual disclaimer.] {Good enough is perfect.}