Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!munnari!mimir!hugin!augean!sirius!hacker!jeremy
From: jeremy@misadel.oz (Jeremy Begg)
Newsgroups: alt.sex,news.admin
Subject: Re: Is alt.sex about to be legislated away?
Message-ID: <312@misadel.oz>
Date: 5 Oct 88 21:39:31 GMT
References: <9644@cup.portal.com>
Organization: Management Information Systems, Adelaide, South Australia
Lines: 49

In article <9644@cup.portal.com>, Ringworld-Engineer@cup.portal.com writes:
> Ok, all you alt.sex-ers. Time to call your congressman, or we may have to
> kiss alt.sex goodbye.
>
>>->->->->->->->->->
>>   A NETWORKER'S JOURNAL
>>        ->->->->->->->->->->->
>>          Vol. 4  Sept. 30, 1988  No. 5
>>
>>
>>SENATE PASSES ANTI-PORN BILL THAT COULD TARGET COMPUTERS
>>
>>    If it becomes law, the porn measure would define new crimes and
>>punishments, including fines of up to $250,000 for many offenses and prison
>>terms ranging from two years to life.
>>     Among other things, the amendment would ... ban sexually-explicit
>>computer transmission SUCH AS SEX-ORIENTED BULLETIN BOARDS
>
> Other than the fact that certain parts of this seem to be in violation of the
> first ammendment, I'm very worried that it passed 97-0, which implies it is
> not a partisan issue.
>
> James

        Although this won't have much affect on me (because 1. I live in
Australia, and 2. I'm not a porno fan anyway) the article did cause a few
questions to spring to mind:

a)  Does the new law relate to all pornography or only to child pornography? (I
think most would agree that child pornography is particularly nasty, as the
majority of "subjects" would have little understanding of the matter, and even
less say in its production.)

b)  What is the definition of a "bulletin board" under the new law?  Would this
include mailing lists?

c)  It strikes me that many of the items in the various "jokes" newsgroups could
fall under the definition of pornography, and certainly contain sexually
explicit references.  I hear the cry "exploitation of women" wheneer this
subject comes up but I happen to know several women who find such jokes amusing,
even those derogatory to women.

        Jeremy Begg
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