From: frantz@netcom.com (Bill Frantz)
Date: Tue, 12 Nov 1996 22:42:21 -0800 (PST)
To: Declan McCullagh <cypherpunks@toad.com
Subject: Re: Censorship on cypherpunks?, from The Netly News
Message-ID: <199611130641.WAA27702@netcom6.netcom.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain


At  9:33 AM 11/12/96 -0800, Declan McCullagh wrote:
>The Netly News
>http://www.netlynews.com/
>November 11, 1996
>
>Cypher-Censored
>By Declan McCullagh (declan@well.com)
>...
>       That is, until recently, when Dimitri Vulis was given the boot.
>   After he refused to stop posting flames, rants and uninspired personal
>   attacks, Vulis was summarily removed from the mailing list.
>   
>...
>   
>       Thus began a debate over what the concept of censorship means in a
>   forum devoted to opposing it. Did Gilmore have the right to show Vulis
>   the virtual door? Or should he have let the ad hominem attacks
>   continue, encouraging people to set their filters accordingly? The
>   incident raises deeper questions about how a virtual community can
>   prevent one person from ruining the forum for all and whether only
>   government controls on expression can be called "censorship."

There is a serious error here.  Gilmore did nothing to prevent Vulis from
posting to the list.  He only prevented Vulis from receiving the list under
his own name.  And, the as hominem attacks continue.


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