Fun_People Archive
30 Nov
America Offline

Date: Wed, 30 Nov 94 16:23:57 PST
To: Fun_People
Subject: America Offline

[For some reason I'm reminded of the ship full of telephone sanitizers in the
Hitchhiker's Guide (with AOL playing the role of Captain).  Maybe this is one
of the reasons that they've become the internet underclass... -psl]

Forwarded-by: bostic@CS.Berkeley.EDU (Keith Bostic)
Forwarded-by: lidl@va.pubnix.com (Kurt J. Lidl)
Forwarded-by: destiny@crl.com writes:

The American Library Association puts out a newsletter called
"Intellectual Freedom".  In their last issue, they panned
America Online's policies on censorship by reprinting an article
from the July 8 New York Times

	   Censorship Online

Freedom of expression has always been the rule in the
fast-growing and hitherto anarchic global web of public and
private computer networks often called cyberspace.  But even as
thousands of Americans each week join the several million who
already use the networks, the companies that control them are
beginning to play the role of censor.

In early June, for instance, America Online shut down several
feminist discussion forums, saying it was concerned that the
subject matter might be inappropriate for young girls who would
see the word "girl" in the forum's headline and "go in there
looking for information about their Barbies."

© 1994 Peter Langston