Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!cmcl2!seismo!gatech!akgua!akguc!codas!peora!ucf-cs!novavax!houligan!dave@smaug.UUCP
From: dave@smaug.UUCP (Dave Cornutt)
Newsgroups: net.news.adm
Subject: reading of other people's mail
Message-ID: <62@houligan.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 20-Jun-86 18:29:09 EDT
Article-I.D.: houligan.62
Posted: Fri Jun 20 18:29:09 1986
Date-Received: Tue, 24-Jun-86 04:32:26 EDT
Organization: Gould Electronics, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.
Lines: 48


I think that trying to draw an analogy between e-mail and anything else
is a futile exercise.  E-mail isn't any of those things and to try to
come up with an ethic in that manner is kind of pointless.  Let's consider
what WE think the ethic should be as opposed to trying to come up with
something based on some other system.

Here's what I think: I don't trust the privacy of e-mail, and if I have
anything confidential to send, I do it by some other method (private
link, mailed magtape, etc.).  However, if a site makes its machines
available as an e-mail site, it should explicitly state what its policy
is; if someone there is going to read incoming mail, warn the world in
advance.  I already have a list of sites that I won't send mail through
because the admins have admitted on the net that they read mail for
non-administrative purposes.  (I define an "administrative purpose" as
reforwarding or return of stuck mail and notifying senders of trashed
mail.) Why? Because I DON'T WANT ANYONE READING MY MAIL! Why don't I
want anyone reading my mail? I'm not going to tell you.  Not that
there's anything exciting in it.  I just feel that it is a general
American principle that privacy is to be granted with explanation; it is
the person who wants to reduce privacy who must justify his actions. 
"Because I feel like it" does not qualify.  I obviously have no control
over the admins at other sites, so I just avoid the ones that I know
will look at my mail.  If, on the other hand, I find that a site that
claims to guarantee confidentiality has violated my privacy, I'm going
to be bloody upset and let the whole world know about it.  To me, the
situation is analagous to being a sys admin and having the root password
and the privilege to read everyone's files: just because I can do it
doesn't give me the right to do it.  That's something I CAN do something
about, and if I ever find out that someone on my machine used the root
password to read my files gratuitously, I'm going to do everything I can
to get that person fired.  And if you are the boss or co-worker of a
person who is reading someone else's mail without cause, I recommend
that you do the same thing, because privacy is a state that must be
protected; the default state for the human condition is no privacy. 

---
Arthur shone his flashlight on Prak's face.  "We thought," he said,
"that you were meant to be telling the Truth, the Whole Truth, and
Nothing But The Truth." "Oh, that," said Prak, "yeah, I was.  I
finished.  There's not nearly as much of it as people imagine."

Dave Cornutt, Gould Computer Systems, Ft. Lauderdale, FL
UUCP:  ...!sun!gould!dcornutt or ...!ucf-cs!novavax!houligan!dcornutt
ARPA: wait a minute, I've almost got it...

"The opinions expressed herein are not necessarily those of my employer,
not necessarily mine, and probably not necessary."