Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!seismo!sundc!pitstop!sun!amdcad!ames!rutgers!topaz.rutgers.edu!brandx.rutgers.edu!webber
From: webber@brandx.rutgers.edu (Webber)
Newsgroups: news.admin,misc.legal
Subject: Re: Responsibility for postings.
Message-ID: <450@brandx.rutgers.edu>
Date: Thu, 8-Oct-87 04:29:23 EDT
Article-I.D.: brandx.450
Posted: Thu Oct  8 04:29:23 1987
Date-Received: Sun, 11-Oct-87 01:00:06 EDT
References: <378d6016.b8ab@apollo.uucp> <5261@jade.BERKELEY.EDU> <2050@kitty.UUCP> <30232@sun.uucp>
Organization: Rutgers Univ., New Brunswick, N.J.
Lines: 38
Summary: things are simpler and harder
Xref: mnetor news.admin:1131 misc.legal:3036

In article <30232@sun.uucp>, chuq%plaid@Sun.COM (Chuq Von Rospach) writes:
> >Civil litigation doesn't require such a rigid definition of proof.  Can
> >I demonstrate with certainty that <30049@sun.uucp> came from Chuq Von Rospach?
> >No.  But if, within the next couple of weeks, I don't see an article from
> >him claiming, "hey, somebody posted something with my name that I didn't say!",
> >then it is extremely likely that he posted it.
> 
> Well, its obvious why I didn't complain about the forgery. I didn't see it.
> Webber notwithstanding, it's physically (and psychologically) impossible to
> read the entire net, and I stopped reading this group months ago. How can I
> defend myself against something I know nothing about?

Well, it is neither impossible nor necessary in this case.  Try:
   nice find /usr/spool/news -type f -exec fgrep chuq {} \; -print >& x &
If you do it regularly, you can even throw in a -newer to cut down on
the amount of time it takes.  If you don't want all references (like
the ones in soc.culture.indian to you), you can match on the
appropriate From: string.

Of course, it is an easy thing to generate a message that never
appears on your machine, but is still seen by a substantial portion of
the net.  For that matter, it is even possible for someone to edit a
message that you actually sent or even cancel all of your denial
messages.  It is also possible to prevent your site from seeing any
news messages that contain your name in them.  It is possible for you
to become the moderator of talk.bizarre.  Welcome to the
                T W I L I G H T    Z O N E

-------- BOB (webber@aramis.rutgers.edu ; rutgers!aramis.rutgers.edu!webber)

    impossible: contraction of ``imp possible,'' which is idiomatic for ``it 
                is possible that an imp would do it.''

    impossible: standing for ``I Might Pull Off Something Slightly Impossible
                By Locating Elves.''

    impossible: adjective used to describe the likelihood that a logician
                would shave a barber.