----- Original Message -----
From: "Rob McEwen" <rob@invaluement.com>
(C) The fact that the Internet is a series of PRIVATE networks... NOT owned/operated by the Feds... is a large reason why the 4th amendment provides such protections... it becomes somewhat of a "firewall" of protection against Federal gov't trampling of civil liberties... but if they own the network, then that opens up many doors for them.
Regular readers know that I'm really big on municipally owned fiber networks (at layer 1 or 2)... but I'm also a big constitutionalist (on the first, second, fourth, and fifth, particularly), and this is the first really good counter-argument I've seen, and it honestly hadn't occurred to me. Rob, anyone, does anyone know if any 4th amendment case law exists on muni- owned networks? Cheers, -- jra -- Jay R. Ashworth Baylink jra@baylink.com Designer The Things I Think RFC 2100 Ashworth & Associates http://baylink.pitas.com 2000 Land Rover DII St Petersburg FL USA #natog +1 727 647 1274