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From: falk@sun.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.crypt,net.politics
Subject: Censorship on the net
Message-ID: <3660@sun.uucp>
Date: Sun, 11-May-86 19:30:33 EDT
Article-I.D.: sun.3660
Posted: Sun May 11 19:30:33 1986
Date-Received: Tue, 13-May-86 19:22:59 EDT
Distribution: net
Organization: Sun Microsystems, Inc.
Lines: 30
Xref: watmath net.crypt:720 net.politics:15816

The subject of censorship of net postings has come up in several newsgroups
lately.  In particular, the issue of net users censoring each other (by
complaining to system administrators) has been discussed.

I would be interested in the extent that "official" censorship takes place.
For instance, I have heard that there was once a rabid Nazi type on the
net who wouldn't shut up and whose views were illegal in some countries
(less freedom of speach there than here) and this person's ravings had
to be censored from the net before they reached Europe.

Another example would be net.crypt.  I have the distinct feeling that
detailed discussions of DES or RSA are not allowed out of the country.
Or for that matter, what if someone tried to post atomic secrets on the
net?

On the other hand, there is SO MUCH information on the net, that it would
be a nightmare to filter the entire thing.  How do they do it?  I suspect
that they have a computer that searches for key words (this is already
done with other information traffic in and out of the U.S.).

My question is, who are "they", where do they filter the net, how do they
do it and how much gets erased?


Also, I would like to conduct an experiment.  Anybody outside of the U.S.
who sees this posting, please send me e-mail so I can get a feel as to how
widely this sort of discussion is disseminated.  (Note that I've used two
keywords, DES & RSA.  (oops, I did it again!)).
-- 
		-ed falk, sun microsystems