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From: allen@sulaco.Sigma.COM (Allen Gwinn)
Newsgroups: news.admin,news.misc
Subject: Re: Do you restrict your users?
Message-ID: <538@sulaco.Sigma.COM>
Date: 15 Feb 90 23:09:20 GMT
References: <90042.134648LRL@PSUVM.BITNET>
Reply-To: allen@sulaco.sigma.com (Allen Gwinn)
Organization: Classified
Lines: 61

In article <90042.134648LRL@PSUVM.BITNET> LRL@psuvm.psu.edu (Linda Littleton) writes:

[wrt offensive articles posted/read on the net]

>Our management is becoming increasingly concerned, perhaps (though I
>think and hope they're bluffing) to the point of shutting down the whole
>thing.  I'd like to find out how other places handle these sorts of
>things, in particular:

>1. Do universities limit student posting in any way?

I am one of the S.A.'s at SMU in Dallas.  Shortly, I am going to bring
a new machine up on line for our undergraduates to post from.  There are
no plans to limit any kinds of postings, or newsgroups.

>2. How do you deal with a user who posts inappropriate stuff?  What
>   kinds of things do you deem "inappropriate"?

I, personally, feel that it is your right to say whatever you want to
say.  As far as content, if someone gets offended at something posted
from this site (or someone at this site reads something that offends
them) I feel that this is their problem.  If it can't get them in legal
trouble for saying it in the "Real World(tm)", then it probably won't
get them into trouble here.  Besides, the Net has ways of policing its
own.  You people at PSU ought to know that :-)

However, back to the concept of "inappropriate", the only things that I would
find "inappropriate" are things which could materially harm the network
or pose technical problems.  Examples might be: crossposting to umpteen
zillion inappropriate newsgroups, forging "newgroup" messages, or just
hacking around on it in general with the intent to do harm.  Then, there
is a strong possibility of action.

>3. What do you do when users complain about articles posted at another
>   site?  Our most recent complaint was against a rotated posting
>   in rec.humor that contained racist, anti-semitic, anti-homosexual,
>   foul language, and everything else.

Nothing.  Tell them not to unrot things, or read newsgroups that might
offend them so.

>4. Are there electronic filters for any of this?  If so, do they just
>   look for specific "bad words" or are more sophisticated things
>   being done?

Oh, I'm sure you could write most anything like that.  But what would
it accomplish?  Are you going to be there in the "Real World(tm)" when
these same people get offended?  What do you do for them in that situation?

>5. Our management is concerned that we could be sued for things our users
>   use our system to say or for things (said by users of other systems)
>   that our computer propogates.  Is there any precedence for this?

I don't think you have anything to worry about along these lines.  I
think that the legal responsibility would be on the writer of such
an article much the same as if someone made a public statement of
questionable content.  However, I'm no lawyer (yes... I do have *some*
ethics), so please consult your own for better advice.  

-- 
Allen Gwinn  sulaco!allen      DISCLAIMER: The opinions, if any, are my own.