Bob Allisat wrote:

Technicians have no right to scan any mail for contents that does not violate the more important civil rights of citizens to privacy and precious freedoms of expression. What Mr. Howard is, in fact, proposing is the computer systems equivalent of that staff of thousands in the form of software that scans and then junks anything the programmers decide is unacceptable. Which is totally egregious.

The programmers would not get to make those decisions. They would instead be made, in effect, by my customers through their choice of service provider.

Instead of designing systems and software that can handle the modern volume of electronic communications (the good the bad and the ugly) these allegedly capable

The volume of mail isn't the issue. It's the annoyance factor that my customers face. I already get complaints from customers just because I have not actually implemented/deployed any of the blocking facilities I speak of. I want to, and I suspect I will have to.

professionals advocate choking off what "We the People" can or cannot send each other and call it a public service. When in fact the public would be served far more by recieiving all of the mail from systems that didin't choke at every silly cyber-flyer, dumb make money scheme or wedding/birth announcement.

I have no plans to block by content. My current plans are to block known open relays and dialup ports. I won't need to look inside the mail (by program) at all to make the blocking decision. -- -- *-----------------------------* Phil Howard KA9WGN * -- -- | Inturnet, Inc. | Director of Internet Services | -- -- | Business Internet Solutions | eng at intur.net | -- -- *-----------------------------* phil at intur.net * --