Fun_People Archive
7 Dec
Another kind of virus?

Date: Wed,  7 Dec 94 13:28:22 PST
To: Fun_People
Subject: Another kind of virus?

[Is this the seamy underbelly of the First Amendment?  -psl]

Forwarded-by: Martin Jara <Martin_Jara@macmail2.lbl.gov>
From: Kleyzemer@aol.com
Just picked up this item from the Jewish News service:

** The Jewish Defense League has just announced that it has demanded that
America Online, the nations third largest on line information service
begin to monitor Neo-Nazi activity on the system. Neo-Nazis in the United
States have been operating their own computer Networks operating for at
least the last five years. Now Neo-Nazis are attempting to reach young new
recruits through the use of on line services. On America Online, users are
able to chose their own "screen name"; users have chosen names such as
"Adolf Hitler", Adolf H666", "Hitler A", "Der Fuhrer", "Adolf 1889", and
"Skinheadz". Some of these Neo-Nazi users when responding to their user
questionnaire, answered inquires about occupation, and hobbies with the
following: "Killing undesirables", "Cooking ...Jewish cuisine", "Killing
Jews", "anti-semitism", "Dictator", "Gay bashing", "making bombs", and
"Hitler's bodyguard". In a letter written to Mr. Steve Case, the President
and C.E.O. of America Online, Art Gold, Crisis Intervention Director of
the Jewish Defense League, wrote that "(JDL) has received many complaints
from America Online users about Neo-Nazis using America Online to spread
their messages of hate and violence." Gold further wrote that "If America
Online is unable to resolve this situation, JDL will have no choice but to
encourage Jewish users of America Online, to their cancel their
memberships. I am sure that such a boycott is entirely unnecessary." (JDL
Press Release)

Oy!

© 1994 Peter Langston