Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!cmcl2!seismo!munnari!mulga!isaac
From: isaac@mulga.OZ (Isaac Balbin)
Newsgroups: net.news
Subject: Re: Towards making hosts and their admin free from a criminal offence
Message-ID: <1261@mulga.OZ>
Date: Tue, 20-May-86 19:51:59 EDT
Article-I.D.: mulga.1261
Posted: Tue May 20 19:51:59 1986
Date-Received: Sat, 24-May-86 01:39:57 EDT
References: <611@bu-cs.UUCP> <164@comp.lancs.ac.uk> <20663@styx.UUCP> <1259@mulga.OZ> <2026@mit-eddie.MIT.EDU>
Reply-To: isaac@mulga.OZ (Isaac Balbin)
Distribution: net
Organization: Computer Science, University of Melbourne
Lines: 37

In article <2026@mit-eddie.MIT.EDU> jbs@mit-eddie.UUCP (Jeff Siegal) writes:
! 
! Usenet, as it exists, is a medium for the free exchange of ideas.  If
! this is not compatible with the laws of another country, it should not
! be distributed there.  
Agreed. Would you consider say a racist article a `free exchange of ideas'?
Who is to decide that say, the `jive' program posted to net.sources recently
is/is not racist? The point I am making is does the definition of 
`free exchange of ideas' allow you to print *anything*. Was Usenet really 
created to also cater for the dissemination of racist material?
Don't get me wrong, I am asking the questions, I don't have answers.

! 
! 4) That by my interpretation, there is very little difference between
! these issues as applied to Usenet are not significantly different from
! the same issues as applied to other media.  Example: Pornographic
! materials imported by Japan are "edited," (at least they used to be,
! I'm not sure any more) but in no sense does this mean that Japan ('s
! goverment) has any authority over the publishers of this material nor
! does it mean that these publishers are violating any Japanese laws
! which may prohibit publishing exactly what they are publishing.
That is not exactly the same. Who is the *importer* of the (un-edited) material?
The importer who also then disseminates this stuff un-edited surely is in 
some way responsible.
Is it the FIRST relay machine that gets the news from abroad; is every machine
which does not stop that article from being passed, on also responsible?
Is it the sys admin of the machine? His employer?
! 
! 
! I am strongly of the belief that it is for the citizens of a country
! to avoid and/or correct.  
That was what I originally wanted. Would then the "Do you understand if you
violate any local law in posting this article that *you* are responsible?"
question in postnews, Pnews be a solution? I don't accept the
view that people will just get used to it and type "yes". If they are 
lax in reading what they sign it is their responsibility again.
				Isaac Balbin.