chuqui@nsc.UUCP (Laurie Sefton, C/O chuqui) (07/19/85)
A few questions on electronic mail...
1.) Would the transmission of threats via electronic mail be
treated in the same manner as a telephoned threat. Also,
would harassing electronic mail (either by sheer volume or
by content) be treated the same way that harassing phone
calls would be?
2.) If electronic mail was treated in the same manner that
phone calls would be, how would one determine whether the
caller had crossed state (province) boundaries to do it? For
example, in California, many times the only route from one
site to the next is through ihnp4 (Illinois) or seismo
(Virginia?). Would the person who had sent the electronic
mail be accused of willfully crossing state (province) lines
to commit a crime?
3.) The phone companies (whichever would be involved) seem to be
quite willing to open up their "sys logs" to find out where
phone calls had come from. What would be involved in opening
up a site's sys log to determine if mail had indeed come from
that site? Would the phone companies be able to prosecute the
person sending the electronic mail, as they would for
harassment, or phone fraud?
4.) What are, if any, the legal precedents for electronic mail
used as a device to harass, threat, or defraud?
Thanks for any help..
(Maybe I should just go to law school and find out.... :-) )
Laurie Sefton
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