Xref: utzoo comp.misc:4769 news.groups:6959 news.admin:4513
Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!lll-winken!ncis.llnl.gov!helios.ee.lbl.gov!nosc!ucsd!rutgers!att!cuuxb!dlm
From: dlm@cuuxb.ATT.COM (Dennis L. Mumaugh)
Newsgroups: comp.misc,news.groups,news.admin
Subject: Re: USSR International Computer Club (was: Information on the ICC)
Summary: Danger Will Smith
Keywords: illegal activities
Message-ID: <2393@cuuxb.ATT.COM>
Date: 20 Jan 89 21:40:00 GMT
References: <10127@well.UUCP> <1315@orion.cf.uci.edu> <810@afit-ab.arpa> <10870@umn-cs.CS.UMN.EDU> <824@afit-ab.arpa> <1560@cps3xx.UUCP> <825@afit-ab.arpa> <24302@apple.Apple.COM>
Reply-To: dlm@cuuxb.UUCP (Dennis L. Mumaugh)
Organization: ATT Data Systems Group, Lisle, Ill.
Lines: 80

The newsgroup comp.misc has been discusing the possibility extending
the USENET to the Soviet Union (USSR).   And

In article <24302@apple.Apple.COM> desnoyer@Apple.COM (Peter Desnoyers) writes:
>Note that the net already has a similar problem, but I don't hear much
>about it. I can type in chapters from _Spycatcher_ or some other work
>that has been censored in Britain under the Official Secrets Act, and
>send it to a newsgroup with world-wide distribution. Any British
>organization that helped "publish" the article would be in violation
>of that same Official Secrets Act (or so I believe).  That's a lot
>worse than "violating export control laws by publishing" in a country
>with guaranteed freedom of the press. 
>
>				Peter Desnoyers

The tone of some people's posting on the subject is that there is
no problem with the use of USENET and that posting of various
material can pose no legal problems.

This attitude is most dangerous.  In fact should this sort of
activity continue, it is possible the we have an incident that
could can serious harm to USENET and computer communications.

One of the unstated ground rules of USENET is that most of the
people that count are not truly aware of what USENET really is.
ATT recently had a situation where Senior Executives suddenly
became aware of the "true nature" of USENET.  After a flurry of
meetings and a policy statement and such the only hazards were
alt.sex and talk.flame.

Should a serious connection of USENET to the countries listed in
the US export control act be made and this come to the attention
of either the State Department OR the Department of Justice the
flap could be serious enough to cause all major supporter of
USENET to flinch.

The actions of NSA with respect to crypt provided a chilling
effect on DES and crypt and that was without any network.  Should
the wrong people become aware of the possibility of comp.source.*
and comp.binaries.* leaving the US of A one might find a set of
letters being sent to the various company CEO with discussions
about "criminal prosecution", etc.

The comment about Spycatcher brings up some serious worries about
legal problems: what is legal in the US of A is not legal in
other coutries and vice versa.  Examples are child pornography,
seditious statements, release of software, etc.  We need to be
especially careful after the recent awareness of the
non-technical public of things like the Internet Worm, the Brad
Templeton affair, etc.  It take only one major mistake and the
wrong goverment official deciding to make a Federal case to
destory what we have.

True there is no USENET administration, and nobody responsible.
But would the CEO of the average company not get a little nervous
if s/he were told that their machine was being used, for example
to conduct a dialog on child porn? [Not that it is true but much
of alt.sex is illegal and considered obscene by several states.]

The point is that comp.misc is not the place to discuss the
ramifications on allowing USENET access to the Soviet Union.  Nor
to creating a set of news groups for this purpose.  While there
is nothing that can be done on this anarchic net to prevent
people from doing things that are illegal or destructive to the
future of the net, please realize that your actions and words can
in fact do major damage.

Yes, I am aware of freedom of speech, and all the other arguments
that have circulated endlessly on this subject.  Just please be
aware that despite your own personal beliefs on what the net
should be like, the final disposition is up to non-technical
people with lots of nasty things that they can do.

Moral: one doesn't make nerve gas and terrorist equipment on the
front porch and publicize it in the New York Times.


-- 
=Dennis L. Mumaugh
 Lisle, IL       ...!{att,lll-crg}!cuuxb!dlm  OR cuuxb!dlm@arpa.att.com