From: Homer Wilson Smith <homer@math.cornell.edu>
Date: Mon, 16 Jan 95 17:27:38 PST
To: Remailer Operators List <Remailer-Operators@c2.org>
Subject: Abuse Complaint out of homer@rahul.net
Message-ID: <Pine.SUN.3.91.950116201426.6889A-100000@math>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain



     Oh, Goody.  I get to deal with my first abuse complaint for my
remailer. 
 
     Seems to me that letting others decide what is or is not abuse
without at least being able to see the abuse myself would be wrong, that
opens the door to just anyone claiming they were abused and my taking
action against the alleged abuser. 
 
     Clearly though if some admin of a system considers something an
abuse, one can not just blow them off, we are all responsible for
responsible use of the net. 
 
     Even if this posting came through a chain, this admin is going to try
to trace back the chain through the other remailers.  So if I give him
the remailer it came from, he is going to pester that remailer operator
who won't appreciate it. 
 
     I will soon be able to install blocking on the To: or From: lines.
Blocking the From lines is hard, because usually abuse comes through other
remailers, so I can't just block that.  I can however block To: lines if
the person is abusing one particular usenet newsgroup or end receiver. 
 
     It would seem that if I am going to take action against someone with
blocking of some sort, then I have at least a right to see the full
posting that is claimed to be abusive. 
 
     By the way, rahul.net keeps syslog files world readable which I find
to be a security leak, as anyone (specifically the Church of Scientology)
could find out who is in communication with me and start to harrass them
too. 

     Comments on ethics and diplomatic handling of this would be
appreciated. 
 
     Homer