From: Duncan Frissell <frissell@panix.com>
Date: Wed, 26 Jun 1996 11:22:00 +0800
To: cypherpunks@toad.com
Subject: Re: AT&T bans anonymous messages
Message-ID: <2.2.32.19960625211952.0097c780@popserver.panix.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain


At 09:48 AM 6/25/96 -0700, Timothy C. May wrote:

>I suspect other major ISPs will adopt similar language, absent a vocal
>lobbying group for anonymous messaging capabilities.

So all you have to do is copy the whole statement, delete the offending
passages, and mail it to your ISP as a counter offer to their proposed
contract.  You can explicitly disclaim the language you don't like.  This
sets up a long and interesting negotiation process during which you can try
to get them to define what they mean by the terms.  Since they haven't
defined any of this stuff (indecency?) it's all kind of meaningless.
Businesses usually won't cut you off over a mere refusal on your part to
accept a contract.  They wait for an overt act.

Might even work in the case of someone like me who pays AT&T $2K/month or more.

Then you can get a real ISP.

I have found that if you are well-behaved in a social sense, you can get
away with all sorts of controversial stuff.  I kept firearms in my college
dorm just because I argued my RA into ignoring same (he had bows and hunting
arrows).  He knew I wasn't a psycho.

I expect that AT&T will ignore what you do unless it kicks back to them so
use them for net access but don't use them for mail.  Run your own mail
server or keep a shell account somewhere else.

DCF