Xref: utzoo comp.misc:4783 news.groups:6977 news.admin:4519
Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!van-bc!sl
From: sl@van-bc.UUCP (pri=-10 Stuart Lynne)
Newsgroups: comp.misc,news.groups,news.admin
Subject: Re: USSR International Computer Club (was: Information on the ICC)
Keywords: illegal activities
Message-ID: <2161@van-bc.UUCP>
Date: 21 Jan 89 20:11:57 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> <2393@cuuxb.ATT.COM>
Reply-To: sl@van-bc.UUCP (pri=-10 Stuart Lynne)
Organization: Wimsey Associates, Vancouver, BC.
Lines: 44

In article <2393@cuuxb.ATT.COM> dlm@cuuxb.UUCP (Dennis L. Mumaugh) writes:
>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

.. and then goes on to describe how this could be potentially illegal.

>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.
>

.. and then goes into intimate detail on how dangerous these and other
associated activities are.

.. and predicts the imminent demise of the net.

I sure hope that the history of the net gets published soon AND is required
reading. We'll need sub-chapters on imminent collaspe due to volume;
imminent demise due to illegal activities; imminent collaspe due to over
cross-posting; imminent demise due to boredom of net.deities; imminent
collaspe because a net.deity has been insulted; imminent demise when the
bean counters find out; ........

I'm not saying that it couldn't happen just that it's exceedingly unlikely.
And there are *many* counter-examples from the past few years showing why
not.

For example one predicted problem was "what would happen if the people who
run companies actually knew what UseNet is?". Well there are an awful lot of
small but powerful sites on the net now that are simply a 386 box in
someones basement. There isn't a CEO around here to tell me to turn this
system off (well except for my wife ;-).


-- 
Stuart.Lynne@wimsey.bc.ca {ubc-cs,uunet}!van-bc!sl     Vancouver,BC,604-937-7532