Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!csd4.milw.wisc.edu!bionet!agate!helios.ee.lbl.gov!nosc!humu!uhccux!lee
From: lee@uhccux.uhcc.hawaii.edu (Greg Lee)
Newsgroups: news.misc
Subject: Re: Obligations (Re: Freedom of hate)
Message-ID: <3722@uhccux.uhcc.hawaii.edu>
Date: 11 Apr 89 19:15:07 GMT
References: <8196@chinet.chi.il.us>
Organization: University of Hawaii
Lines: 23

From article <8196@chinet.chi.il.us>, by patrick@chinet.chi.il.us (Patrick A. Townson):
" ...
" It is not censorship when a private individual or institution with a 
" computer chooses what will and will not be on the computer, using any
" arbitrary and irrational decisions he wishes.

It may very well be censorship, as that term is ordinarily used.
It is not just a legal term.

" Private property is private property.

Supposing that this is intended to mean that the use of your own private
property is completely up to you, it is not correct in general.  If you
operate a computer system as a public facility, you may give up some
rights over its operation, as an apartment owner or a restaurant owner,
for instance, must maintain safety or health standards and may not
choose who to rent to or serve on the basis of race.  I don't know
whether it is legal for a sysadmin to practice censorship.  I don't
think it's obvious.  I hope it will prove to be illegal, because it's
clearly wrong, at least in those situations in which censorship by the
state is wrong.

		Greg, lee@uhccux.uhcc.hawaii.edu