[soc.misc] Usenet and legal liability

rick@pcrat.uucp (Rick Richardson) (11/25/89)

In article <52003@looking.on.ca> brad@looking.on.ca (Brad Templeton) writes:
>I don't think the non-security of the net would be a great defence.

>I can ignore the e-mail, but if X is serious he will then phone or
>write a registered letter.   If, after all this, I don't claim it's
>a forgery (no suit has been served yet) that would be rather odd, would
>it not?

Hasn't there been a presumption in all this talk that the
libeller is going to *LIE* under oath and claim he/she didn't
write the article in question.  I find it disgusting that
every posting on this issue has made the assumption that
people are going to be lying in court.

The postings themselves aren't disgusting, just that they make
the (correct?) assumption that most people these days are liars.
Are we really living in a society which can't be trusted to tell
the truth?  (Rhetorical questions, no followups needed).

-Rick

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