SEWALL@UCONNVM.BITNET (03/23/88)
In article <567@imagine.PAWL.RPI.EDU> kudla@pawl20.pawl.rpi.edu (Robert J. Kudla) writes: >can be used in any other way. Also, like an audio recording, any >computer-based record cannot be used as evidence in a court of law. While the "privacy" of electronic mail IS a matter of some legal dispute, I seriously doubt that a court wouldn't rule a newslist a "public" document. It is completely analogous to a newspaper. Anyone can subscribe (that has access to the net and that surely includes law enforcement agencies), authors have little way of identifying all subscribers (so have to assume anyone at all might receive it), and the messages are archived (like a library). So far as I can tell, there's no copyright here so anything posted may (and possibly will) be duplicated and distributed. Suppose a law enforcement agent simply takes a message and has it published as a "letter to the editor" in some small town Newspaper (entirely legal act). That surely would make it "legally admissable." --------------------- Disclaimer: I like my opinions better than my employer's anyway... (subject to change without notice; void where prohibited) ARPA: sewall%uconnvm.bitnet@mitvma.mit.edu Murphy A. Sewall BITNET: SEWALL@UCONNVM School of Business Admin. UUCP: ...ihnp4!psuvax1!UCONNVM.BITNET!SEWALL University of Connecticut