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From: bzs@bu-cs.UUCP (Barry Shein)
Newsgroups: net.followup
Subject: US Senate bill on computer-transmitted obscenity
Message-ID: <228@bu-cs.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 2-Mar-86 12:17:10 EST
Article-I.D.: bu-cs.228
Posted: Sun Mar  2 12:17:10 1986
Date-Received: Tue, 4-Mar-86 02:21:04 EST
Organization: Boston Univ Comp. Sci.
Lines: 39


>An IEEE publication lists a discussion of Senate Bill S. 1305, a bill
>to establish penalties for the transmission by computer of obscene
>matter.

>	Joe Yao		hadron!jsdy@seismo.{CSS.GOV,ARPA,UUCP}

First off, I think net.general was the *right* place for this.

Yes, I believe that USENET itself stands as a shining example that
we don't need no gummint folks telling us what's right and wrong
on this issue. There have been disagreements, we have seen them aired,
fixes were applied (eg. rot13) or offenders scolded, no one as far as
I know has ever been injured or maimed in the process.

Out of the thousands of folks that participate in this list, is there
anyone who feels he or she or it has been injured sufficiently by any
obscenity (real or perceived) on this network which they would have
liked to have been able to call the FBI in (or whatever, I assume this
is interstate at least) and have the person hit over the head with a
big stick and thrown somewhere dark and damp for a few years? Or do
you feel that the current method of dealing with it (anarchic fiat) is
sufficient?

I think a representative from USENET should be at the congressional
hearings if they arise. Maybe we should all go.

Yes, this concerns foreign sites. The flow of information is only as
strong as its weakest link.

The issue here sounds like not so much "what is obscene" but whether
or not such a basis for judgement should be within the purvue of the
police.  I think not. If injuries occur I suspect the laws we have
currently are sufficient to deal with them, there is no need for new
police powers just because people are speaking over a different
medium. Why don't those people in Washington do something useful like
fund a new shuttle.

	-Barry Shein, Boston University