527 lines
21 KiB
Plaintext
527 lines
21 KiB
Plaintext
Banned Computer Material 1992
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Inspired by Banned Book Week '92, this is a list of computer material
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that was banned or challenged in academia in 1992. Iowa State
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University has the dubious distinction of being listed most often
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(three times).
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The list proper starts after a list of the academic institutions where
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bans or challenges have occurred. The list proper is followed by
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instructions on how to get more information about specific incidents
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and then by instructions on how to get general information about
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computers and academic freedom.
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Please send reports, corrections, and updates to either
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caf-talk@eff.org (a public mailing list) or kadie@eff.org (private).
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-- Carl Kadie, kadie@eff.org,
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co-editor Computer and Academic Freedom News
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Disclaimer: I do not represent EFF; this is just me.
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version: 1.09
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============= Academic Institutions ==================
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USA
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Ball State University
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Boston University (i)
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Carnegie Mellon University
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Iowa State University (i)
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North Dakota State University
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Princeton
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University of California at Berkeley (site of an unsuccessful challenge)
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University of Massachusetts at Boston
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University of Nebraska at Lincoln
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University of Wyoming
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Virginia Public Education Network
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Virginia Tech
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Williams College (the college not directly involved)
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Canada
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Canadian universities
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Simon Fraser University
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University of British Columbia
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University of Manitoba
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University of Toronto (site of an unsuccessful challenge)
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University of Ottawa
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Wilfrid Laurier University (i)
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Wilfrid Laurier University (ii)
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Europe
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Irish universities
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German universities
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Middle East Technical University in Turkey
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United Kingdom Net
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Updates
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Iowa State University (ii)
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University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (ban ended)
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Continuing
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Boston University (ii)
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Iowa State University (iii)
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James Madison University
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Pennsylvania State University
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University of Newcastle
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University of Texas
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University of Toledo
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Western Washington University (& University of Washington)
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=============== List of Banned Computer Materials ==============
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+ USA:
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Computer code at *Ball State University* to crack passwords
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... even if it is never run. During a system-wide search, an
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administrator found the computer code. The user says "[i]t really
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bothers me that I'm going to get in a lot of trouble (probably
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anyway) just for the mere possession of a program."
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REFERENCE:
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news/cafv02n11:<9202161945.AA24863@bsu-cs.bsu.edu>
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Lyrics to Ice-T's Cop Killer in a .plan file at *Boston University*
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"Two people have complained to my department's chair... .He asked me
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informally to remove it. I told him I would not do so voluntarily."
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REFERENCE:
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news/cafv02n35:<JBW.92Jul16195814@bigbird.bu.edu>
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Articles in an open bulletin board at *Carnegie Mellon University* if
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they offend
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The University threatened to investigate the author on charges of
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sexual harassment unless he stopped writing.
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news/cafv02n11:<46750.298C2BB3@psycho.fidonet.org>
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news/cafv02n08:<1992Jan28.223429.20426@eff.org>
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Material from the rec.arts.erotica newsgroup at *Iowa State University*
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To protest the University's ban of this newsgroup, a student
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reposted some of the articles to newsgroup isu.newsgroups. He was
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summarily expelled from the University computers. Later his
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account was restored. The incident made the front page of the
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student newspaper.
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news/cafv02n30:<1992May6.033143.16713@eff.org>
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news/cafv02n30:<1992May8.064304.8364@news.iastate.edu>
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All "offensive" material at *North Dakota State University*
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Banned by the Policy on Misuse of Computer Facilities
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news/cafv02n20:<1992Apr27.214917.13402@eff.org>
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Any electronic posting at *Princeton* that demeans a person because of
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his or her beliefs
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banned by Princeton's Guidelines for the use of Campus and
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Network Computing Resources and the more general Rights, Rules,
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Responsibilities Policy.
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news/cafv02n20:<199204292110.AA23705@eff.org>
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news/cafv02n20:<1992Apr29.213206.24214@eff.org>
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Anti-Semitic material available at the *University of California at
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Berkeley* via the Internet
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... challenged by a student, but the University and the
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Anti-Defamation League of B'nai B'rith said that censorship would be
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inappropriate.
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news/cafv02n07:<kpgo3cINNvq@news.bbn.com>
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All .plan files at the *University of Massachusetts at Boston* that would
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not be given a PG-13 rating
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news/cafv02n39:<BETSYS.92Aug3155829@ra.cs.umb.edu>
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All the alternative newsgroups (even alt.censorship) at the
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*University of Nebraska at Lincoln*
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... because someone might find some of the articles in some of the
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newsgroups "objectionable". On April 6th the UNL Academic Senate
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Executive Committee voted to request restoration of the majority of
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the alt.* groups, but none have been restored.
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news/cafv02n22:<1992Mar26.214421.26447@sparky.imd.sterling.com>
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news/cafv02n22:<9203212232.AA24018@cse.unl.edu>
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news/cafv02n23:<1992Apr1.192701.28737@eff.org>
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news/cafv02n23:<9205040334.AA04565@cse.unl.edu>
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news/cafv02n23:<fwd.9204201540.AA12109@herodotus.cs.uiuc.edu>
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news/cafv02n30:<1992May5.005813.281@eff.org>
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Computer code at the *University of Wyoming* for Internet Relay Chat
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A student was told that if university searches turned up IRC code in
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his possession, he "would be disusered without hope for reinstatement."
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news/cafv02n08:
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<3803321809011992_A11466_POSSE_11614C9F3200@mrgate.uwyo.edu>
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Any network use on *Virginia Public Education Network* that violates
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"generally accepted social standards"
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Such use is defined as "obscene" and is banned by PEN's Acceptable
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Use Policy.
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policies/virginia.pen.edu
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policies/virginia.pen.edu.critique
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Any "unwarranted annoyance" or "unsolicited email" at *Virginia Tech*
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... banned by the Information System's Appropriate Use Policy.
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The policy is currently being revised.
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news/cafv02n20:<1992Apr27.214917.13402@eff.org>
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The phrase "George Bush and his people need a bullet in the head" posted
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to the Net from *Williams College*
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The posting led to a U.S. Secret Service and grand jury investigation.
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news/cafv02n29:<1992Jun11.001601.29258@morrow.stanford.edu>
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+ Canada:
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alt.sex.bondage and other "pornographic writing" anywhere in *Canada*.
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... challenged in a CBC Radio show reporting that some police
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consider these legally obscene, and would like to suppress them
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if possible. (The police haven't acted, but their statements may
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have caused some sites to ban material.)
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news/cafv02n30:<telecom12.427.9@eecs.nwu.edu>
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All Netnews discussions of sex at *Simon Fraser University*
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The _Globe and Mail_ quotes the director of academic computing
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services: "It's the same as if somebody wants Playboy or
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Penthouse. We don't have them in the university library." In
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fact, SFU has _Playboy_ in its library.
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news/cafv02n38:<1992Jul21.164722.252@jarvis.csri.toronto.edu>
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news/cafv02n37:<philip.12@SMU.StMarys.CA>
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All "vulgar", "reprehensible", "pornographic", or "poison[ous]"
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material that might be accessed from, created on, or stored on
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*University of British Columbia* computing equipment starting with
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newsgroups alt.sex and rec.arts.erotica
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... banned by order of the president of the University
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news/cafv02n39:<DALTON.92Jul31231305@oligo.Geop.UBC.CA>
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All Netnews discussions of sex at the *University of Manitoba*
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... banned the day after a critical article in the Winnipeg Free Press
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news/cafv02n21:<1992May10.093635.27536@ccu.umanitoba.ca>
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news/cafv02n38:<1992Jul21.164722.252@jarvis.csri.toronto.edu>
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news/cafv02n37:<philip.12@SMU.StMarys.CA>
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news/cafv02n26:<1992May28.010057.18609@cs.sfu.ca>
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news/cafv02n30:<1992May31.080939.25516@clarinet.com>
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All on-line material related to sex at *University of Toronto*
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... challenged in a broadcast by CITY-TV (an independent Toronto
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television station) that suggested the U. of Toronto should deal
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with the "problem" like U. of Manitoba did, that is, by banning the
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material. The U. of Toronto resisted the challenge and refused to
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censor the material.
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news/cafv02n34:<1992Jul7.150830.27316@ccu.umanitoba.ca>
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policies/utoronto.ca
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news/cafv02n37:<philip.12@SMU.StMarys.CA>
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news/cafv02n33:<1992Jun16.045026.15800@gpu.utcs.utoronto.ca>
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The alt.sex* newsgroups at the *University of Ottawa*
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cases/wlu.ca
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All "profane" computer file names at *Wilfrid Laurier University*
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news/cafv02n40:<1992Aug13.182157.5688@m.cs.uiuc.edu>
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The alt.sex* newsgroups at *Wilfrid Laurier University*
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... because the administration thinks they are "offensive" and "puerile".
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cases/wlu.ca
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+ Europe:
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Newsgroups at *many German universities* that discuss sex, including
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discussion of recovery from sexual abuse
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... banned in response to an article in the German paper "EMMA" .
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news/cafv02n23:<199204201927.AA07124@eff.org>
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Netnews discussion in *Ireland* of abortion
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news/cafv02n11:<1992Feb24.222848.12187@maths.tcd.ie>
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Netnews discussion via Switzerland's SWITCH of gay rights, of drugs
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and drug policy, and of sex and recovery from sexual abuse. Also,
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United Press International articles related to terrorism or sex
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SWITCH is an academic network consortium. The official rational is
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that this information *might* be illegal under Swiss law.
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news/cafv02n22:<1992Mar2.135005.14877@neptune.inf.ethz.ch>
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news/cafv02n11:<1992Feb20.180752@sic.epfl.ch>
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news/cafv02n13:<16825.9203091724@pyr.swan.ac.uk>
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All on-line political or religions "activism" at *Middle East
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Technical University in Turkey*
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news/cafv02n21:<1992May4.223243.28741@eff.org>
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Newsgroups alt.sex*, alt.drugs, alt.evil, alt.tasteless and
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rec.arts.erotica on *United Kingdom Net*
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UKNet is commercial network that connects most academic institutions in
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the United Kingdom. They say that they fear UK law.
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news/cafv02n33:<1992Jun08.165434.4998@bas-a.bcc.ac.uk>
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news/cafv02n30:<1992May19.093311.105@rdg.dec.com>
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+ Updates:
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Most on-line discussion of sex at *Iowa State University*
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Iowa State University restricts access to these newsgroups. The
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rational for the restriction is Iowa's Obscenity law. That law,
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however, explicitly exempts universities. Since the original
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restrictions were started rec.arts.erotica has been added to the
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restricted list, while discussion of drugs and drug policy were
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removed.
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news/cafv02n11:<1992Feb23.201324.12799@m.cs.uiuc.edu>
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news/cafv02n11:<3198@ecicrl.ocunix.on.ca>
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news/cafv02n08:<1992Jan24.160039.20161@news.iastate.edu>
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news/cafv02n30:<1992May11.132630.23905@news.iastate.edu>
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Email send to or from the National Center for Supercomputer
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Applications (NCSA) that verbally attacks the Center or the
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*University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign*
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No longer grounds for a computer file search
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case/ncsa.email
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news/cafv02n33:<1992Jun2.011050.15719@m.cs.uiuc.edu>
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+ No Changes Reported:
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Any computer files at *Boston University* that anyone else finds
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offensive or annoying
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The rules at Boston University prohibit a computer user from "making
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accessible offensive [or] annoying ... material".
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news/cafv01n10
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All rude articles at *Iowa State University*
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On-line rudeness is prohibited by Iowa State computer policy. A
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student was reprimanded for posting a rude article to the net.
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news/cafv01n38
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news/cafv02n23:<1992Apr2.174625.23219@eff.org>
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All email containing "offensive" material at *James Madison University*
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news/cafv01n39
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The alt.sex.* hierarchy on PSUVM, the main general purpose computer at
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*Pennsylvania State University*
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news/cafv01n34
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All offensive messages at *University of Newcastle*
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news/cafv01n39
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All email or Netnews articles that "bring discredit" to the *University
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of Texas* or its Computer Science Department"
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news/cafv01n37
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The alt.sex newsgroup at the *University of Toledo*
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batch/oct_06_1991
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More than a dozen newsgroups, including alt.sex, at *Western Washington
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University*
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They were removed from Western Washington University on the order of
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one person, the Vice Provost for "information and communication".
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Alt.sex remains at the *University of Washington*, but other
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newsgroups were removed right before a negative article was printed
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in the Seattle _Post Intelligencer_.
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news/cafv01n33
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news/cafv01n36
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news/cafv01n35
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news/cafv01n41
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========= How to get more information about an incident =========
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Following each item in the list above is one or more references.
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For example:
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news/cafv02n11:<9202161945.AA24863@bsu-cs.bsu.edu>
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news/cafv01n10
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policies/virginia.pen.edu
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cases/wlu.ca
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batch/oct_06_1991
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In the first example, "news/cafv02n11" is the name of a file and
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"<9202161945.AA24863@bsu-cs.bsu.edu>" is a message-id within the file.
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The other example references consist of just file names. If a
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reference includes a message-id, retrieved the named file first, then
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edit it and do a text search for that message-id.
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The files are available by anonymous ftp (the preferred method) and by
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email. To get the files via ftp, do an anonymous ftp to ftp.eff.org
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(192.88.144.4), and "get" the files.
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For example:
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get pub/academic/news/cafv02n11
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get pub/academic/news/cafv01n10
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get pub/academic/policies/virginia.pen.edu
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get pub/academic/cases/wlu.ca
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get pub/academic/batch/oct_06_1991
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To get the files by email, send email to archive-server@eff.org.
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For the files in the example, the email should contain the lines:
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send acad-freedom/news cafv02n11
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send acad-freedom/news cafv01n10
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send acad-freedom/policies virginia.pen.edu
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send acad-freedom/cases wlu.ca
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send acad-freedom/batch oct_06_1991
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========== Other Information of Possible Interest ===========
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All these documents are available on-line. Access information follows.
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=================
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caf
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=================
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A description to the comp-academic-freedom-talk mailing list. It is a
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free-forum for the discussion of questions such as: How should general
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principles of academic freedom (such as freedom of expression, freedom
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to read, due process, and privacy) be applied to university computers
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and networks? How are these principles actually being applied? How can
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the principles of academic freedom as applied to computers and
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networks be defended?
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=================
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banned.1991
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=================
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A list of computer material that was banned at universities during (or
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before) 1991. It summarizes incidents and policies at Ohio State U.,
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the U. of Illinois (two campuses), Case Western U., Boston U., U. of
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Waterloo, U. of Toledo, Western Washington U., Iowa State U.,
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Pennsylvania State U., U. of Texas, U. of Newcastle, James Madison U.,
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U. of Wisconsin, and others.
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=================
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statements/caf-statement
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=================
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This is an attempt to codify the application of academic freedom to
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academic computers. It reflects our seven months of on-line discussion
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about computers and academic freedom. It covers free expression, due
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process, privacy, and user participation.
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Comments and suggestions are very welcome (especially when posted to
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CAF-talk). All the documents referenced are available on-line.
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(Critiqued).
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=================
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statements/caf-statement.critique
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=================
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This is a critique of an attempt to codify the application of academic
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freedom to academic computers. It reflects our seven months of on-line
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discussion about computers and academic freedom. It covers free
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expression, due process, privacy, and user participation.
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Additional comments and suggestions are very welcome (especially when
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posted to CAF-talk). All the documents referenced are available
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on-line.
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=================
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faq/netnews.reading
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=================
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q: Should my university remove (or restrict) Netnews newsgroups
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because some people find them offensive? If it doesn't have the
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resources to carry all newsgroups, how should newsgroups be selected?
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=================
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faq/netnews.writing
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=================
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q: Should my university allow students to post to Netnews?
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=================
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faq/netnews.liability
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=================
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q: Does a University reduce its likely liability by screening Netnews
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for offensive articles and newsgroups?
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=================
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faq/censorship-and-harassment
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=================
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q: Must/should universities ban material that some find offensive
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(from Netnews facilities, email, libraries, and student publications,
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etc) in order to comply with antiharassment laws?
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=================
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faq/media.control
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=================
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q: Since freedom of the press belongs to those who own presses, a
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public university can do anything it wants with the media that it
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owns, right?
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=================
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faq/policy
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=================
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q: What guidance is there for creating or evaluating a computer policy?
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=================
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library/bill-of-rights.ala
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=================
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The Library Bill of Rights from the American Library Association.
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=================
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library/diversity.ala
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=================
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"Diversity in Collection Development"
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An interpretation by the American Library Association of the "Library
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Bill of Rights"
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It says that collections should be inclusive, not exclusive. And that
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materials should cover the needs and interest of all patrons. "This
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includes materials that reflect political, economic, religious,
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social, minority, and sexual issues."
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=================
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academic/speech-codes.aaup
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=================
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On Freedom of Expression and Campus Speech Codes Expression - An
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official statement of the American Association of University
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Professors (AAUP)
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It says in part: "On a campus that is free and open, no idea can be
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banned or forbidden. No viewpoint or message may be deemed so hateful
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or disturbing that it may not be expressed."
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=================
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academic/student.freedoms.aaup
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=================
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Joint Statement on Rights and Freedoms of Students -- This is the main
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U.S. statement on student academic freedom.
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=================
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law/uwm-post-v-u-of-wisconsin
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=================
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The full text of UWM POST v. U. of Wisconsin. This recent district
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court ruling goes into detail about the difference between protected
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offensive expression and illegal harassment. It even mentions email.
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It concludes: "The founding fathers of this nation produced a
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remarkable document in the Constitution but it was ratified only with
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the promise of the Bill of Rights. The First Amendment is central to
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our concept of freedom. The God-given "unalienable rights" that the
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infant nation rallied to in the Declaration of Independence can be
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preserved only if their application is rigorously analyzed.
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The problems of bigotry and discrimination sought to be addressed here
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are real and truly corrosive of the educational environment. But
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freedom of speech is almost absolute in our land and the only
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restriction the fighting words doctrine can abide is that based on the
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fear of violent reaction. Content-based prohibitions such as that in
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the UW Rule, however well intended, simply cannot survive the
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screening which our Constitution demands."
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=================
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=================
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These document(s) are available by anonymous ftp (the preferred
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method) and by email. To get the file(s) via ftp, do an anonymous ftp
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to ftp.eff.org (192.88.144.4), and get file(s):
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pub/academic/caf
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pub/academic/banned.1991
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pub/academic/statements/caf-statement
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pub/academic/statements/caf-statement.critique
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pub/academic/faq/netnews.reading
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pub/academic/faq/netnews.writing
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pub/academic/faq/netnews.liability
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pub/academic/faq/censorship-and-harassment
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pub/academic/faq/media.control
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pub/academic/faq/policy
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pub/academic/library/bill-of-rights.ala
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pub/academic/library/diversity.ala
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pub/academic/academic/speech-codes.aaup
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pub/academic/academic/student.freedoms.aaup
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pub/academic/law/uwm-post-v-u-of-wisconsin
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To get the file(s) by email, send email to archive-server@eff.org.
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Include the line(s) (be sure to include the space before the file
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name):
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send acad-freedom caf
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send acad-freedom banned.1991
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send acad-freedom/statements caf-statement
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send acad-freedom/statements caf-statement.critique
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send acad-freedom/faq netnews.reading
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send acad-freedom/faq netnews.writing
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send acad-freedom/faq netnews.liability
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send acad-freedom/faq censorship-and-harassment
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send acad-freedom/faq media.control
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send acad-freedom/faq policy
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send acad-freedom/library bill-of-rights.ala
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send acad-freedom/library diversity.ala
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send acad-freedom/academic speech-codes.aaup
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send acad-freedom/academic student.freedoms.aaup
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send acad-freedom/law uwm-post-v-u-of-wisconsin
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