[net.legal] Censorship: A Case History

steven@qubix.UUCP (05/19/84)

References:


	I have been informed that not all of the faculty had a voice
    in the decision making process regarding Tim Maroney.   Thus my
    heated and hasty argument complaining about the "faculty at the
    University of North Carolina", should only have included the
    "Computer Science faculty of UNC".

	At the same time, I have become convinced that the CS Faculty
    is on very very shakey legal grounds, to be promoting political
    or religious censorship on a publically funded machine.   While
    an employer has the right to censor anything he chooses, that right
    ceases when the employer starts to use equipment, or licenses which
    are part of the public domain.   Thus, for the same reason that
    TV stations are forced to give over part of their time to opposing
    views on their editorials, (they broadcast on the public airwaves),
    public universities cannot prohibit the use of a network, on machines
    which have been bought with tax money.    This is only my opinion,
    to this date, the right to restrict free net access has not been
    chalenged in court.

    Steven Maurer