msc@qubix.UUCP (Mark Callow) (11/11/84)
> > One thing that can be done with moderated groups that cannot be done > with Ken Arnold's idea of pointer lists is provide a newsgroup which > can be broadcast over some public media. That is, the material has > been screened to allow it to be broadcast (like over a radio link, > for example). The phrase I keep hearing when talking to people about broadcasting of netnews is "legal liability". What I think this means is that the company donating its vertical blanking interval does not want to be legally liable for whatever we might send in that interval. I presume they are bothered about such things as libel and slander, and copyright violations rather than merely offending someone who happens to decode our transmissions. The bottom line is they don't want to be sued for anything we might do therefore plans are for all broadcast groups to be moderated. Many times in the past people have mentioned that there is no "legal entity" for anyone to go after if they get upset at something on usenet. It seems that the moderators finally provide such a "legal entity". Are they ready to accept such a responsibility? Personally, given the sue happy state of this country and the overabundance of lawyers, I'd be unwilling to do it. Is usenix going to take this responsibility. Can the moderators get "malpractice" insurance? Am I going completely over the top here. I think there are some important issues to at least think about here. Implicit in all this, of course, is the death of the net.* groups. -- From the TARDIS of Mark Callow msc@qubix.UUCP, qubix!msc@decwrl.ARPA ...{decvax,ucbvax}!decwrl!qubix!msc, ...{amd,ihnp4,ittvax}!qubix!msc