On Thu, 7 Feb 2036, Bob Allisat wrote:

The simple point is you or any other technician has no ability or right to imagine themselves representing or in any way inter- fering with their customers mail.

That depends on the situation. If I own a toy company with an Internet connection and I don't want certain kinds of email to be sent or received I am within my rights to stop it. If I as joe user want to use a program to refuse/blackhole certain email I am within my rights. If I as Joe User want to use an ISP/other service to blackhole mail for me that is certainly my right. If you provide end user accounts/service (IE AOL,@HOME etc) I think if you define the terms of service up front to indicate that you reject certain types of traffic than there is not a problem. Users who sign up for that service can make their own decisions about what they want.

You are acting as if you have any right to intercept any private e-mail. You have no such right. In manipulating the free flow of electronic mail you are infringing with fundamentaly human rigts and freedoms.

Actually to my mind its alot more like RBL is a boycott. Just as PETA or Americans against Nuclear Power or the NRA tell their membership how to bring pressure to bear via elections or refusing to buy certain products the RBL provides a list of sites/companies with which others who agree with RBL's stated objectives agree not to speak. I have no problem if companies or individuals or even communities (IE end users account providers) decide to undertake this action. There is an issue about wether bitpipe providers would be held to some kind of common carrier status if that is the case than certainly they would have to pass the traffic. If not its their equipment and they can do with it as they please. It should be noted that if the Internet continues to be an important part of our lives for communicating and for finding and purchasing goods and services I would expect to see other "alliances" with their own list of places/people that they don't want to see. For good or ill there will be information filtering technology in use. bjp@eng.umd.edu | Disclaimer: Can you be sure I even uunet!eng.umd.edu!istari | exist: Let alone represent anyone Brad Passwaters (Network Ronin) | or anything. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Here we are. Born to be kings. We're the princes of the universe. Here we belong, fighting to survive in a war with the darkest power. Network Manager's Theme Song (QUEEN)