gnu@hoptoad.uucp (John Gilmore) (08/18/86)
I forgot to send a copy of this article to net.micro too. Micro people who use BBS systems, please read the referenced article (vnews/readnews users type 'p') and then contact your Congresscritter if you have strong feelings. I do, I think we are screwed if it passes! If you use a FIDO system, please forward this discussion into the FIDO network. Anybody who does email service on a shared-costs bases will be screwed by this bill; I think that includes FIDOs. Brief summary: (Read article <1013@hoptoad.uucp> for the whole summary) This Bill, S.2757, the "Electronic Communications Privacy Act", appears to put legal liability on Usenet hosts which forward mail or news for other hosts, and could alter or destroy the current structure of Usenet (and/or Stargate). It was written by people who DON'T UNDERSTAND EMAIL and networking, and was lobbied for by the commercial email companies (telemail, compuserve, etc). It has been passed by the House and is now pending in the Senate. Read <1632@well.UUCP> (vnews/readnews users type '2p'), which tells you how to get the complete text of the bill. Post discussion to net.mail (keep it out of the other groups). -- John Gilmore {sun,ptsfa,lll-crg,ihnp4}!hoptoad!gnu jgilmore@lll-crg.arpa May the Source be with you!