Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!aramis.rutgers.edu!geneva.rutgers.edu!hedrick From: hedrick@geneva.rutgers.edu (Charles Hedrick) Newsgroups: gnu.gcc Subject: Re: info-gcc is not a common carrier Message-ID: Date: 31 May 89 23:05:01 GMT References: <8905310246.AA00550@sugar-bombs.ai.mit.edu> Distribution: gnu Organization: Rutgers Univ., New Brunswick, N.J. Lines: 27 >However, if you do disapprove of us for considering "censorship", I do >wish to hear from you. I'm seeing this information via the GNU Usenet groups. There may be a cultural difference between mailing lists and newsgroups. There have always been a number of limited-membership mailing lists. I can think of reasons to challenge the propriety of such things, but in practice mailing lists are easy enough to create in private that any regulations involving them are probably unenforcable. Usenet is however a more public activity, and tends to have a few standards. One of them is not appropriate to discriminate against particular authors or messages based on religious, political, or other views. In my opinion, newsgroups that discriminate against certain postings because they describe actions of which the moderator disapproves would be a violation of this tradition. There are also possible questions about use of University, State, and Federal resources -- and certainly such resources are being used in propagating newsgroups. I think the GNU project is justified in limiting use of its mailing list as it likes. However I would have qualms about continued access to Usenet for these groups if there is any control on the basis of the authors' politics. Charles Hedrick Associate Director Center for Computer and Information Services Rutgers University