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Path: utzoo!mnetor!seismo!ut-sally!utastro!werner
From: werner@utastro.UUCP (Werner Uhrig)
Newsgroups: net.mail
Subject: Re: Congress is now debating the future of Usenet
Message-ID: <1170@utastro.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 19-Aug-86 03:54:22 EDT
Article-I.D.: utastro.1170
Posted: Tue Aug 19 03:54:22 1986
Date-Received: Wed, 20-Aug-86 07:41:44 EDT
References: <1632@well.UUCP> <1013@hoptoad.uucp>
Organization: U. Texas, Astronomy, Austin, TX
Lines: 40
Summary: this matter deserves to be brought to the attention of all (in mod.announce)

In article <1013@hoptoad.uucp>, gnu@hoptoad.uucp (John Gilmore) writes:
X> Many people probably missed lll-crg!well!tenney's offer to email a copy of
X> the Electronic Communications Privacy Act.  
X> 
X> Listen up!  This is no joke!
X> 
X> It appears to put legal liability on Usenet hosts which forward mail or
X> news for other hosts, and could alter or destroy the current structure
X> of Usenet (and/or Stargate).  It was written by people who DON'T UNDERSTAND
X> EMAIL and networking, and was lobbied for by the commercial email companies
X> (telemail, compuserve, etc).
X> 
X> This bill, S.2575, is now pending in the Senate Judiciary Committee.  It
X> purports to extend constitutional protection against unreasonable
X> search to electronic storage.  However, it also does many other
X> things.  It loosens the existing wiretap authorization laws and also
X> allows wiretaps and "tracking devices" (bugs) to be placed on people
X> for up to 48 hours without a court order.  It also makes it illegal to
X> tune in cellular phone calls on your TV (channels 80-83).  And it makes
X> you legally responsible for the carriage of email unless you run a "public
X> access" system.
X> 
X> To get an up to date, official copy of the bill, .....
X> If you object to it, tell them why, and tell them that you want [a delay]
X>

from what I read here, this should also be of interest to ARPA and CSNET sites,
as well as FIDONET, MAILNET, etc., etc. ... In other words, I suggest maximum
distribution of this message to anyone even remotely interested in computer
communications.  I'll take it on me to forward this message to all ARPA-sites,
as well as the the actual text of the Electronic Communications Privacy Act 
if I can find it online somewhere.

I have not read the Act (yet) and do not have an opinion on it as yet, so all
I am speaking up for at this point is:
	
		  LET's CALL THIS TO EVERYONE's ATTENTION
				*BEFORE* THE MATTER IS CAST INTO CONCRETE!!!

 ---Werner  "democracy is a matter of knowing when and where to cast your vote"