From: kadie@eff.org (Carl M. Kadie)
Subject: Re: apparent censorship of some newgroups
Originator: kadie@eff.org
Keywords: big brother
Organization: The Electronic Frontier Foundation
Date: Mon, 25 Jan 1993 01:15:24 GMT

I'm enclosing the U.S. NSFNet policy.

It doesn't say that everything must be available to everyone. It does,
however, say NSFNet can be use used to "debate issues in a field or
subfield of knowledge". In practice, discussions about sex are
allowed. Indeed, my school, the University of Illinois not only
receives alt.sex, but also Dr.June Reinisch's sex column from the
Kinsey Institute at the University of Indiana. As uptight as the U.S.
is about sex, discussions of sex are not banned from our universities.


- Carl

==============================================================
[Source: anonymous ftp to nis.nsf.net in directory cise.]

THE NSFNET BACKBONE SERVICES ACCEPTABLE USE POLICY

GENERAL PRINCIPLE:

(1) NSFNET Backbone services are provided to support open research and
    education in and among US research and instructional institutions,
    plus research arms of for-profit firms when engaged in open
    scholarly communication and research.  Use for other purposes is
    not acceptable.

SPECIFICALLY ACCEPTABLE USES:

(2) Communication with foreign researchers and educators in connection
    with research or instruction, as long as any network that the
    foreign user employs for such communication provides reciprocal
    access to US researchers and educators.

(3) Communication and exchange for professional development, to
    maintain currency, or to debate issues in a field or subfield of
    knowledge.

(4) Use for disciplinary-society, university-association,
    government-advisory, or standards activities related to the user's
    research and instructional activities.

(5) Use in applying for or administering grants or contracts for
    research or instruction, but not for other fundraising or public
    relations activities.

(6) Any other administrative communications or activities in direct
    support of research and instruction.

(7) Announcements of new products or services for use in research or
    instruction, but not advertising of any kind.

(8) Any traffic originating from a network of another member agency of
    the Federal Networking Council if the traffic meets the acceptable
    use policy of that agency.

(9) Communication incidental to otherwise acceptable use, except for
    illegal or specifically unacceptable use.

UNACCEPTABLE USES:

(10) Use for for-profit activities (consulting for pay, sales or
    administration of campus stores, sale of tickets to sports events,
    and so on) or use by for-profit institutions unless covered by the
    General Principle or as a specifically acceptable use.

(11) Extensive use for private or personal business.

This statement applies to use of the the NSFNET Backbone only.  NSF
expects that connecting networks will formulate their own use
policies.  The NSF Division of Networking and Communications Research
and Infrastructure will resolve any questions about this Policy or its
interpretation.

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