Lawsuit threat against RBL users

Thu Nov 19 21:27:17 UTC 1998

	I have avoided getting into this debate, but this has really gone
	too far.  Bob Allisat's contention is that any ISP that attempts
	to filter content is violating "inalienable rights and freedoms"
	is way off the mark.

	Ok, Mr. Allisat, I'll bite -- explain to me what "right" is being
	violated when I stop a spammer that is trying to advertise "Hot
	Pussy Sites" to eleven year old children?  Or how about get rich
	quick schemes that forge their addresses to hide their identities
	so you can not trace them after they rip you off?  Or chain letters
	that clog mail spools while susceptible people worry about their
	outcomes if they don't comply with the letter?

	You scream "inalienable rights and freedoms", but your motive is
	to promote and encourage those that would prey on the most
	susceptable of our society.  Freedom that robs our children of
	their innocence, promotes con artists, and feeds on the vulnerable
	is not freedom, Mr. Allisat!

	But I think you have another axe to grind as well.  Your letter
	to Karl Denninger contains the following exerpts:

	*  "Whatever rights, freedoms and liberties we have are eliminated
	    in favour of Kangaroo courts like Vixie's network or RBL finks,
	    Customer Services flunkies and over-bearing capitalists ..."

	*  "They hide behind arguments that their systems are private
	    property and their alleged "property rights" are more important
	    than our inalienable rights and freedoms."

	*  "Our rights to security over our data and communications, to
	    privacy and access to commercial and personal e-mail, etc are
	    all *SUPERIOR* to any tertiary rights these business organizations
	    may claim."

	*  "We have universal, inalienable rights and freedoms. These
	    precious things extend to private property and internationally."

	Based on these statements, I can only conlude you have a huge
	problem with the capitalistic system, and that you favor the
	elimination of private property in order to foster your "freedom".
	That is the same argument Fidel Casto uses on the people he
	suppresses, and was the common theme among communist countries
	before the fall of the Berlin wall.  Joseph Stalin shared your
	views on private property.  I don't.  As a capitalist, I find
	your ideas offensive and misguided.

	Wake up Mr. Allisat -- you already have a feee system.  One that
	can choose whether to filter spam or not.  One that can choose
	whether to give his private property away or not.  Your concept
	of "inalienable rights and freedoms" is one that would force all
	ISPs to do things YOUR way, instead of the current free choice
	system we currently have.

	And one other point -- calling the people that help customers
	configure their systems to connect to the Internet "Customer
	Services flunkies" is insensitive and unfair.  I know the employees
	that work for my company go out of their way to make sure every
	customer is helped and treated with respect, regardless of the
	customers experience with computers or the Internet.  That is one
	of the advantages of paying for Internet service -- you get real
	customer service from people who actually care whether or not
	your experience is a positive one.  That is capitalism.

	Paul Vixie and his team of "RBL finks" are to be commended on the
	excellent job they have done in stopping the poisonous assult of
	pornographic filth, fraud, and manipulation that spam brings to
	people everyday.  And for people that want to take the RBL even
	further, we provide a list via autoresponder at spamlist at us.net
	that blocks even more of this crud.  And here is the best part --
	its up to the FREEDOM of the individuals that use these resources
	to determine if and how they want to use them.

	There are no "inalienable rights and freedoms" that give spammers
	unrestricted access to the Internet.  Even the courts have upheld
	the right of ISPs to block and filter spam -- see the URL
	http://www.aclu.org/issues/cyber/updates/nov13clu.html#cyberpromo

	If you want to use your time and resources to foster and promote
	the activites of people that prey upon society at large, go right
	ahead -- that's "freedom", and it is your "right" to do so.  I have
	always found it interesting that the people the scream the loudest
	about their rights do it in the context of denying others their
	rights.  As an ISP, I have the right to choose.  And I choose not
	to do business with spammers.

	Dave Stoddard
	US Net Incorporated
	301-361-6000
	dgs at us.net

Bob Allisat writes:
> Karl Denninger writes:
> > That looks an awful lot like an industry-wide blacklist, and those 
> > are dangerously close to being per-se illegal.
> > 
> > There's nothing wrong with a single provider putting whatever 
> > provisions in their agreements they see fit - you're always free 
> > to shop for a new provider.  However, when industry actions 
> > conspire to basically *force* certain provisions to be included in 
> > *everyone's* contracts, and those provisions go beyond "don't do 
> > illegal things", then IMHO you're exerting force that needs to be 
> > very carefully thought out.
> 
>  When every Service Provider writes
>  a carte blanche paragraph into their
>  alleged Acceptable Use Policies
>  allowing such practices as "Black
>  Holing", content deletion, account
>  termination etc. we become hostages
>  to commercial entities. Whatever
>  rights, freedoms and liberties we
>  have are eliminated in favour of
>  Kangaroo courts like Vixie's network
>  or RBL finks, Customer Services
>  flunkies and over-bearing capitalists
>  like Mr. Denniger here. They hide
>  behind arguments that their systems
>  are private property and their
>  alleged "property rights" are
>  more important than our inalienable
>  rights and freedoms.
> 
>  It is not our right merely to
>  choose among companies and corporate
>  entities. Our rights to security over
>  our data and communications, to 
>  privacy and access to commercial
>  and personal e-mail, etc are all
>  *SUPERIOR* to any tertiary rights
>  these business organizations may
>  claim. While Denniger shrieks in
>  uncharachteristic defense of our
>  liberties he is the first one to
>  claim dominion over every machine
>  and anything anyone does using
>  those machines, telling them to
>  basically get lost if they don't
>  like it.
> 
>  We have universal, inalienable
>  rights and freedoms. These precious
>  things extend to private property
>  and internationally. If we do not 
>  fight to protect these inalienables
>  we will suffer the rough consequences.
>  Please visit <http://fcn.net> for
>  more information.
> 
>  Respectfully,
> 
>  Bob Allisat
> 
>  Free Community Network _ bob at fcn.net . http://fcn.net
>  http://fcn.net/allisat _ http://fcn.net/draft
>