Interesting People mailing list archives
more on caution on Spam legislation from CDT
From: Dave Farber <dave () farber net>
Date: Wed, 25 Jun 2003 13:51:52 -0400
------ Forwarded Message From: Mary Shaw <mary.shaw () cs cmu edu> Date: Wed, 25 Jun 2003 11:09:59 -0400 To: dave () farber net Subject: Re: [IP] caution on Spam legislation from CDT The CMU policy on controversial speakers makes a point that is relevant here. The policy is based on the principle that the university should protect the students' right to hear a diversity of opinions, but without establishing a right for speakers to be heard (we're a private university). The speakers can, of course, go to some public place and speak to their hearts' content. In other words, your right to speak does not impose on me an obligation to listen. Similarly, I hope Congress can stay clear about the difference between - an individual's right to receive (legal) email that he/she wants - an individual's right to express him/herself, including in email - an individual's right to not receive undesired email - an individual's right to restrict the dissemination of his/her email Not that it will be easy to do this, but if these distinctions are lost it will surely go badly. For example, I believe it is important to preserve the ability to send anonymous email, but I also believe that sacrificing the sender's identity as a source of credibility should impose a high standard for other evidence of credibility. And because anything that permits protected whistle-blowing is likely to protect spammers as well, this means that it should be easy for anyone who does not want purely anonymous email to refuse it, and it indicates a need for other kinds of credibility, like identification tokens that are good for restricted purposes or times. Mary ------ End of Forwarded Message ------------------------------------- You are subscribed as interesting-people () lists elistx com To manage your subscription, go to http://v2.listbox.com/member/?listname=ip Archives at: http://www.interesting-people.org/archives/interesting-people/
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- more on caution on Spam legislation from CDT Dave Farber (Jun 25)