From: kadie@eff.org (Carl M. Kadie)
Subject: [alt.comp.acad-freedom.talk]  Cornell changes computer speech policy
Followup-To: alt.censorship,comp.org.eff.talk,alt.comp.acad-freedom.talk
Originator: kadie@eff.org
Organization: The Electronic Frontier Foundation
Date: Thu, 28 Jan 1993 19:02:22 GMT

[A repost - Carl]

Newsgroups: alt.comp.acad-freedom.talk
From: escheire@sunlab.cit.cornell.edu (Eric Scheirer)
Subject:  Cornell changes computer speech policy
Date: Thu, 28 Jan 1993 04:14:08 GMT


Excerpted from this morning's Cornell Daily Sun:

In light of last semester's child pornography incident at Clara Dickson Hall
and the increasing appearance of sexist, racist, and ant-Semitic messages in
electronic mail around the country, M. Stuart Lynn, vice president for 
information technologies, presented the University's new policy on electronic
communications to the University Assembly last night.

"This is a difficult issue because it deals both with the freedom of speech
and the right of people not to be harassed," said Lynn of the policy, which 
includes a set of guidelines governing conditions under which the university
can restrict access to its computer networks.

According to the two-page document, the University "reserves the right to dis-
connect from its networks those computers (whether or not owned by the
University) used to transmit material in violation of university policies
or codes, or state or federal laws."  Lynn said that access to computer
networks would be temporarily closed, only in the case of files containing
obscene or offensive material, such as sexually explicit screen savers and
an anti-Semitic role-playing game.  If the injunction is reversed by campus
judiciary procedures, he added, the files would be reopened immediately.

Although the code aims to protect the civil rights of members of the Cornell
community, serveral Assembly members expressed reservations about the policy.
The proposal calls for value judgements on the part of information technologies
officials.

"We're living in a faster age and we need to act fast, but any mechanism 
such as this one, needs constant review and re-evaluation," said Ray Oglesby,
natural resources.  "Is the person making the decision qualified?  We need
to determine that on a case-by-case basis."

Henry DeVries, computer specialist for cooperative education, suggested
implementation of a training program for system administrators which would
teach them the specifics of obscenity codes and laws.

"What we want to avoid is trigger-happy assistant administrators," he said.  
"We want them to be prepared to make a quick, accurate decision so that 
everybody's rights are preserved."

Lynn attempted to quell the Assembly's doubts.  "We at Cornell do not want
to limit anyone's freedom of speech, but we are a community and we must protect
our members," he said.

"We do recognize that we can't always decide what is appropriate or inapp-
ropriate, but where time is of the essense and more harm is done by allowing
the file to remain, we must act," Lynn added.

----
Eric Scheirer - Sun Undergrad Lab Consultant - escheire@sunlab.cit.cornell.edu

Any opinions expressed above are mine alone, and are not intended to 
represent views of the Cornell CS Dept, or Cornell Information Technologies --
I don't even work for CIT!


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