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Re: Black Hole Vixie/RBL (fwd)

  • From: Bradley J. Passwaters
  • Date: Fri Nov 20 00:23:12 1998

On Thu, 7 Feb 2036, Bob Allisat wrote:

>  The simple point is you or any
>  other technician has no ability
>  or right to imagine themselves 
>  representing or in any way inter-
>  fering with their customers mail.

That depends on the situation.  If I own a toy company with
an Internet connection and I don't want certain kinds of email to
be sent or received I am within my rights to stop it.  If I as joe user
want to use a program to refuse/blackhole certain email I am within my
rights.  If I as Joe User want to use an ISP/other service to blackhole
mail for me that is certainly my right.  

If you provide end user accounts/service (IE AOL,@HOME etc) I think
if you define the terms of service up front to indicate that you reject
certain types of traffic than there is not a problem.  Users who sign
up for that service can make their own decisions about what they want.

>  You are acting as if you have any
>  right to intercept any private
>  e-mail. You have no such right.
>  In manipulating the free flow
>  of electronic mail you are
>  infringing with fundamentaly
>  human rigts and freedoms.

Actually to my mind its alot more like RBL is a boycott.
Just as PETA or Americans against Nuclear Power or the NRA
tell their membership how to bring pressure to bear via elections
or refusing to buy certain products the RBL provides a list of 
sites/companies with which others who agree with RBL's stated
objectives agree not to speak.  I have no problem if companies
or individuals or even communities (IE end users account providers)
decide to undertake this action.

There is an issue about wether bitpipe providers would be held
to some kind of common carrier status if that is the case than
certainly they would have to pass the traffic.  If not its their
equipment and they can do with it as they please.

It should be noted that if the Internet continues to be an
important part of our lives for communicating and for finding and
purchasing goods and services I would expect to see other "alliances"
with their own list of places/people that they don't want to see.
For good or ill there will be information filtering technology
in use.

[email protected]                        |  Disclaimer:  Can you be sure I even
uunet!eng.umd.edu!istari               |  exist:  Let alone represent anyone
Brad Passwaters (Network Ronin)        |  or anything.
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