Organization: Bar-Ilan University Computing Center, Israel
Date: Thu, 1 Oct 1992 10:21:28 IST
From: Hank Nussbacher <HANK@BARILVM.BITNET>
Newsgroups: alt.comp.acad-freedom.talk,comp.org.eff.talk,comp.admin.policy,alt.censorship,soc.college
Subject: Re: Banned Computer Material 1992

In article <1992Sep30.065537.23479@eff.org>, kadie@eff.org (Carl M. Kadie) says:
>Computer code at *Ball State University* to crack passwords
>     ... even if it is never run. During a system-wide search, an
>     administrator found the computer code. The user says "[i]t really
>     bothers me that I'm going to get in a lot of trouble (probably
>     anyway) just for the mere possession of a program."
...
>Computer code at the *University of Wyoming* for Internet Relay Chat
>     A student was told that if university searches turned up IRC code in
>     his possession, he "would be disusered without hope for reinstatement."


Assume that sex/porn/necrophilia are all grounded in the rule of free speech
and that indeed some universities are trampling on the free speech rights of
their students.  I somehow don't understand the two examples above - how does
this impinge the rights of their free speech?  Let us take the first example:
suppose I carry a handgun tucked under my shirt.  I have not used it and don't
intend to use it.  What right does anyone have to stop me and take away my gun
when I enter their building?  I assume you see the sarcasism.  In the 2nd
example: suppose I wish to determine the 1,000,000,000th digit of PI.  I really
want to know.  I run a program to figure it out.  The computer center sees
an incredible use of CPU time from my account over the past 48 hours.  They
kill my program - and I take them to court suing them under the bill of
rights that they are taking away my freedom of expression.

Use of the computer is not a G-d given right.  It is a privilege.  It is
up to the computer center to determine whether the use you make of its
resources is warranted.  How do you know that at the University of Wyoming
they are not running on a Vax 750 and that user response time is 8 seconds
per command and that running IRC has caused response to go up to 30 seconds
per command?  Getting reports from college freshman is not the most reliable
form of reporting in regards to freedom of expression.

>
>+ Europe:
>
>Newsgroups at *many German universities* that discuss sex, including
>discussion of recovery from sexual abuse
...
>Netnews discussion in *Ireland* of abortion
...
>Netnews discussion via Switzerland's SWITCH of gay rights, of drugs
>and drug policy, and of sex and recovery from sexual abuse. Also,
>United Press International articles related to terrorism or sex
...
>All on-line political or religions "activism" at *Middle East
>Technical University in Turkey*
...
>Newsgroups alt.sex*, alt.drugs, alt.evil, alt.tasteless and
>rec.arts.erotica on *UKNet*
>     UKNet is an academic network in the United Kingdom.

Unless I am mistaken, the US Bill of Rights which include the right to
free speech, etc. has not been accepted as the Bill of Rights to the World.
Have you checked that each of these countries (Ireland, Turkey, etc.) have
a law of free speech as the US does?  Or are you merely applying your own
form of geocentricism which dictates that the entire world has to follow
what the USA says and does?

The reason I am extremely annoyed is that this is not the first time that
people in the USA assume that the entire world has to jump in line to their
definitions of how the world should work.  No wonder that American foreign
policy around the world has nose-dived in the past 20 years.  Why do you
think people demonstrate against the "Great Satan" in Iran or Indochina
or the Phillipines?  Americans are extremely insensitive to cultures other
than their own.  Your posting is a very good example that things have not
changed.

>Carl Kadie -- I do not represent EFF; this is just me.
> =kadie@eff.org, kadie@cs.uiuc.edu =

Hank Nussbacher
Israel
Newsgroups: alt.comp.acad-freedom.talk