Prepared by Joseph Gebis (j-gebis@uiuc.edu). Please address any additions, comments, or corrections to banned-faq@uiuc.edu.
The newest version of the "How to Receive Banned Newsgroups FAQ" is available electronically by many different methods. See section 6.3 for details.
Section 1 describes this document. Section 2 provides most of the quick information you need to find out how to receive banned newsgroups. Sections 3-5 contain other information relating to the topic. Section 6 contains more information about this document.
All information in this article is presented solely for informational purposes. Joseph Gebis takes no responsibility for any information contained within this article.
Chapter 1: Overview and Introduction
"I cannot convince myself that there is anyone so wise, so universally
comprehensive in his judgment, that he can be trusted with the power to
tell others: 'You shall not express yourself thus, you shall not
describe your own experiences; or depict the fantasies which your mind
has created; or laugh at what others set up as respectable; or question
old beliefs; or contradict the dogmas of the church, of our society, our
economic systems, and our political orthodoxy.'"
1.1 What is this faq?
This faq was originally intended to be a compilation of other
information sources about ways to get newsgroups. It has become more
than that, in a few ways. I'm trying to include information on how to
access any internet resource from any other one (although the emphasis
of this document is still on newsgroups), and it has become, I hope, a
document discussing important ethical issues.
1.2 What is needed to get news?
There are two things needed to "get" news in the fullest sense of
the word. First of all, you need a source of news, and a means of
accessing that source; this will allow you to read other people's
messages. Secondly, you need a way to post new articles to news.
This document will allow you to find different ways to do both.
1.3 Other notes
I tried to make sure I gave credit for every file I use in this
document; if you notice something not credited, or miscredited, tell me.
Also, tell me if the information is wrong; some information included in
this document changes fairly often.
I tried to use "[BEGIN INCLUDED FILE: #]" when starting a direct, or only slightly edited, reference from a file. The number is the number of the full reference, given at the end of this document. Every "[BEGIN INCLUDED FILE: #]" is matched by a "[END INCLUDED FILE]".
I use "[BEGIN EXCERPTS FROM INCLUDED FILE: #]" when I use selected sections, or have had to do heavy editing on a file. The number is the number of the full reference, given at the end of this document. Every "[BEGIN EXCERPTS FROM INCLUDED FILE: #]" is matched by a "[END EXCERPTS FROM INCLUDED FILE]". It is recommended that you do get the file if you want to see the original, unedited version. I have tried to remain faithful to the original intent and purpose of every included document.
If any reference is wrong, please tell me.
Chapter 2: How to get Banned Newsgroups
2.1 Not-for-profit news providers
A good way to get banned newsgroups is to use a free news provider.
Many free news providers also provide access to many other important
services. A partial list includes:
I have not had a chance to look through all these; some or all may not provide guest news access (or news access at all). This list is from the Internet Services List. Instructions on obtaining it are below.
[BEGIN EXCERPTS FROM INCLUDED FILE: 1]
Nyx will not allow guest users to post to newsgroups.
Looking around nyx is free; to get a full account requires you to
register.
To try Prairienet out, telnet to firefly.prairienet.org and login as
"visitor".
2.2 Commercial news providers
Disclaimer: I am not related to any of the following service providers.
If you cannot access some news groups, you can always turn to a commercial news providers. These news providers will give you shell access, news, dialup lines, and more (for a fee). To find out what commercial internet service providers exist in your area, get one of the commercial service provider lists.
The NIXPUB list: this is primarily a list of mail/news sites, although
it includes many full access sites as well. Get it from
I would also strongly suggest accessing Peter Scott's excellent Hytelnet
service at the University of Saskatchewan. Telnet to access.usask.ca
login: hytelnet. Information on both pay systems and freenets (which can
often provide the level of needed access) can be found on this site.
Note that, while there are other Hytelnet sites, USask is the most up to
date.
I more than welcome comments, corrections and especially additions.
Special thanks to Dr. Josh Backon for providing information on
many of the listed sites.
FTP: This list is available by anonymous FTP from login.qc.ca in
/pub/fslist/FSLISTXX where XX is the version number.
[END INCLUDED FILE]
America Online provides access to newsgroups. AOL's number is
(800) 827-6364, or you can call (800) 827-5808 to use their BBS (where
software is available).
Delphi also provides access to usenet. Delphi's number is
(800) 695-4005, or you can call (800 695-4002 to use their BBS. Press
enter a few times, then log on as "FREE" to try out their service, or
"INFO" to get more info.
To access these sites, you need a news reader that allows you to
change which nntp site is uses. rn and all of its derivatives (trn,
strn, xtrn, etc) all allow you to do this. I've been told that the
newest version of nn (6.5.0, a beta version) also supports this.
To access these open nntp sites, you need to set the environment
variable "NNTPSERVER" to the site that you want to use. If you are using:
To access these open nntp sites with tin, you can specify that you
want to connect to a remote site by including the "-r" option on the
command line, or using "rtin" instead of "tin". The NNTPSERVER variable
has to be set.
It's extremely important to remember to keep separate .newsrc files
for each machine you use. When you are going to read news at another
site, move your .newsrc file to something else:
"mv .newsrc .newsrc.local" (without the quotation marks).
Then, when you are done reading news there, copy your .newsrc back
to its original name:
"cp .newsrc.local .newsrc" (without the quotation marks).
Also, if you want to keep a .newsrc for the other site you read,
make sure you copy that file to .newsrc before you read it, and copy it
to another file when you are done reading news there.
Scott Yanoff did post this list recently, which he says was taken
from the older list on open nntpservers. Many of these may have shut
down by now.
Christopher K. Neitzert (neitzert@astro.ocis.temple.edu) posted this
list of open nntp sites:
[END INCLUDED FILE]
Christopher K. Neitzert (neitzert@astro.ocis.temple.edu) posted this
list of gopher-accessable news sites:
From the latest version of the file that I have:
[BEGIN INCLUDED FILE: 4]
[END INCLUDED FILE]
To get the internet services list, look in alt.internet.services,
comp.misc, biz.comp.services, alt.bbs.internet, news.answers,
comp.answers, or alt.answers, or ftp to rtfm.mit.edu, or archie for
inet.services.txt, or finger yanoff@csd4.csd.uwm.edu.
[BEGIN EXCERPTS FROM INCLUDED FILE: 1]
[END EXCERPTS FROM INCLUDED FILE]
You can also access the web via telnet.
Ftp service is available through email. For information on
ftp-through-mail, look in the internet services list. Here's the
important information from the latest info I have:
[END INCLUDED FILE]
Also, it is possible for someone to mail you certain newsgroups with
a simple perl script (if they have access to a shell account). For
information on this, write me; it's still in the works.
It's actually possible to gopher through email. From the internet
services list:
[BEGIN EXCERPTS FROM INCLUDED FILE: 1]
Include any subject but no body.
You can also access the web via email. Send mail to
listserv@info.cern.ch, and include the line: "help".
For any group that is moderated, you can submit messages directly to
the moderator (via email) instead of the normal posting method; this is
all a newsreader does for moderated newsgroups. To find out which
groups are moderated and the moderation address, you can ftp to
rtfm.mit.edu and get /pub/usenet/news.answers/moderator-list/partX,
where "X" is the number of the separate parts.
You can also subscribe to mailing lists that mirror newsgroups. To
get a list of these, you can ftp to rtfm.mit.edu and get
/pub/usenet/news.ansers/mail/news-gateways/partX, where "X" is the
number of the separate parts.
It is also possible to telnet through gopher; this can be done by
gohering to services.more.net, or be searching for "Telnet Resources" in
veronica. The path is:
services.more.net:
From there, you can enter any telnet site (including the sites
listed above and read news). To search for other possible open telnet
sites, search for "telnet -t78" in veronica.
You can also ftp through gopher; the path is:
From there, you can get files from many sites.
Carl M. Kadie has done some wonderful work on archiving and
analyzing information relating to computer freedom; much of the
information in this document, especially that relating to the
"newsgroups as libraries" analogy, is his. See below on how to access
his huge archive.
Without going into legalities, there are some important reasons
that news administrators would not want to provide access to certain
news groups. These reasons include, but are not limited to:
Of course, there are some reasons that are generally not considered
valid. These reasons include, but are not limited to:
The American Library Association (ALA) has said:
[BEGIN EXCERPTS FROM INCLUDED FILE: 5]
"The library is one of the great symbols of our democracy. It is a
living embodiment of the First Amendment because it includes voices of
dissent."1 Libraries of all types adhere to this ideal ... It is
essential to this purpose that the library function as neutral ground in
that marketplace. Viewpoint-based discrimination has no place in ...
library collections or services; for the library to espouse partisan
causes or favor particular viewpoints violates its mission.
Libraries serve the function of making ideas and information
available to all members of the society, without discrimination.
The right of free access to information for all individuals is
basic to all library service. The central thrust of the LIBRARY BILL OF
RIGHTS is to protect and encourage the free flow of information and
ideas. Article 5 protects the rights of an individual to use a library
regardless of origin, age, background, or views. The American Library
Association urges all libraries to set policies and procedures that
reflect the basic tenets of the LIBRARY BILL OF RIGHTS, within the
framework of Constitutional imperatives and limitations.
1. Richard R. Kreimer v. Bureau of Police for the Town of
Morristown, et. al., ___ F. Supp. ___ (No. 90-554, May 22, 1991).
[END EXCERPTS FROM INCLUDED FILE]
The Bill of Rights (from the ALA) reads, in part:
[BEGIN EXCERPTS FROM INCLUDED FILE: 6]
The American Library Association affirms that all libraries are
forums for information and ideas, and that the following basic policies
should guide their services.
Libraries should provide materials and information presenting all
points of view on current and historical issues. Materials should not
be proscribed or removed because of partisan or doctrinal disapproval.
Libraries should cooperate with all persons and groups concerned
with resisting abridgment of free expression and free access to ideas.
A person's right to use a library should not be denied or abridged
because of origin, age, background, or views.
[END EXCERPTS FROM INCLUDED FILE]
Moreover, it is not only the right thing to do to allow access to
these newsgroups; according the the "Librarian's Code of Ethics",
librarians must stand up to attempts to ban newsgroups.
[BEGIN EXCERPTS FROM INCLUDED FILE: 7]
The Librarian's Code of Ethics
II. Librarians must resist all efforts by groups or individuals to
censor library material.
III. Librarians must protect each user's right to privacy with respect
to information sought or received and materials consulted,
borrowed, or acquired.
V. Librarians must distinguish clearly in their actions and
statements between their personal philosophies and attitudes and
those of an institution or professional body.
[END EXCERPTS FROM INCLUDED FILE]
And there are even more general codes of ethics that could be
applied, including the Code of Ethics for Information Scientists:
[BEGIN EXCERTPS FROM INCLUDED FILE: 8]
A Code of Ethics for Information Scientists:
Information professionals should:
Information professionals should:
[END EXCERPTS FROM INCLUDED FILE]
News administrators are generally not trained in law relating to
libel, copyright violations, and pornography; they often don't have a
good basis to judge whether or not something is in violation of the law.
It is impossible for news administrators to scan all news.
"Censorship reflects society's lack of confidence in itself. It is a
hallmark of an authoritative regime."
In fact, I believe that it is important to describe how to receive
banned newsgroups, and for people to excercise their rights pertaining
to newsgroups. It is very disturbing for me to see news administrators
declaring themselves ultimate arbitrators of what is and is not
appropriate; even looking past the obvious problems with this, the
decision is often made for basically arbitrary reasons.
News administrators will only realize that they can not control what
people can and can not read on a selective basis if people stand up for
their rights.
If people do not continue to excercise their rights to getting
uncensored information, it will become easier and easier for
organizations to infringe upon those rights. For this reason, it is
important to keep this information alive, even if it does not directly
apply to you at this moment. Who knows when the news situation at your
site will change?
Of course, this file is most useful in places where news is (even
partially) banned; if your site has a news feed that is censored, it is
your responsibility as a member of the electronic culture to provide
this information to others at your site that need it.
The only way that our rights will not be tread upon is if people
stand up and excercise their rights. Every person that wishes to be
able to choose has been drafted into the anti-censorship war. Even if
access to your particular newsgroups is not being challenged today,
every new rule and regulation takes you one step closer to the day when
you no longer decide what you can read.
"I know of no safe depository of the ultimate powers of the society but
the people themselves, and if we think them not enlightened enough to
exercise that control with a wholesome discretion, the remedy is not to
take it from them, but to inform their discretion."
So what is a library?
Here is my favorite definition:
(From Indiana state law) "'Library' means a collection of a variety of
books or other printed matter, audiovisual materials or other items in
which knowledge is recorded; kept in a centralized place; for which a
person who as knowledge of the materials, their arrangement, their use
and of library skills is responsible; and which are for the use of
individuals or groups in meeting their recreational, informational,
educational, research or cultural needs."
Here are some others:
The best definition in the OED II is:
"a public institution or establishment, charged with the care of a
collection of books, and the duty of rendering the books accessible to
those who require to use them."
I called the American Library Association, but the folks I talked to
did know of an official definition. They did, however, suggest looking
in the book _American Library Laws_ (5th edition) for legal
definitions. From the book I learned that most states do not define
the term. Here are definitions from the states that do:
"'Academic library' means a library established and maintained by a
college or university to meet the needs of its students and faculty,
and others by agreement."
[According to the OED II, "realia" are " Objects which may be used as
teaching aids but were not made for the purpose."]
[END INCLUDED FILE]
All of these examples have occurred recently. The people at these
sites are having decisions made for them. The administrators are
ignoring many codes of ethics. All of the people at these sites can be
helped with information on how to get banned newsgroups.
But even beyond that, I feel that it is important to show people
(both news administrators and readers) that there are alternatives to
reading a censored newsfeed. There is no way to prevent any person on
the net from getting banned newsgroups; if you have access to any
internet resource, you have full access to news.
"The Net interprets censorship as damage and routes around it."
There are also mailing lists that discuss these issues.
To join the cypherpunks mailing list, send mail to
"cypherpunks-request@toad.com". The submission address for the mailing
list is "cypherpunks@toad.com".
There are some web sites related to censorship and banned
newsgroups. These include:
Realistically, there is no way that a news administrator can be
expected to read through all of usenet news; there are hundreds of
megabytes of it every week. However, news administrators that limit
access to newsgroups based upon content are assuming responsibility
for what is in the remaining newsgroups; they are basically accepting
the newsletter view of usenet.
If a news administrator limits access to news groups based upon
content of those groups, they are basically asking for legal troubles
for them and for all news administrators. Imagine if the phone
company was responsible for every drug deal that occured over the
phone lines; they would be gone in a week.
Which way does the law view usenet? This question was partially
answered in a recent court case, Cubby Inc. v. CompuServe. In this
case, Cubby sued CompuServe for information that was made available
through them.
The court ruled in favor of CompuServe. They recognized and
legitimized the analogy of usenet to a bookstore.
But what about obscene images? First of all, it's important to note
what the law considers legal. From "SEX AND THE SINGLE SYSADMIN: The
risks of carrying graphic sexual materials" by Mike Godwin
(mnemonic@eff.org):
In layman's terms, a jury (or a judge in a nonjury case) would ask
itself something like these four questions:
If the answer to all four questions is "yes," the material will be
judged obscene, and it will be Constitutional to prosecute someone for
distributing it. (It should be noted in passing that pictures of the
"hardness" of Playboy and Penthouse photography have never been found to
be obscene--their appearance in digital form on Usenet sites may create
copyright problems, but they won't create obscenity problems.)
[END INCLUDED FILE]
It's important to note that many of the pictures similar to those
that appear in "Playboy" on usenet are not considered obscene by the
law.
But what about the material that would be considered obscene? From
the same file:
And, in the 1959 case Smith v. California, the Court held that criminal
obscenity statutes, like the great majority of all criminal laws, must
require the government to prove "scienter" (essentially, "guilty
knowledge" on the defendant's part) before that defendant can be found
guilty. So, if the government can't prove beyond a reasonable doubt that
a system operator knew or should have known about the obscene material
on the system, the operator cannot be held liable for an obscenity
crime.
In short, you can't constitutionally be convicted merely for possessing
obscene material, or for distributing obscene material you didn't know
about.
[END INCLUDED FILE]
Moreover, it's not (to my knowledge) illegal to read any banned
newsgroups. Even if your news administrator has decided that he does
not want you to read that group, you have no legal responsibility to
follow his wishes. In fact, it may be illegal for him to try and force
you to follow his wishes.
"Congress shall make no law ... abridging the freedom of speech, or of
the press ..."
From the latest information I have:
* Computers and Academic Freedom (CAF) Archive
The CAF Archive is an electronic library of information about
computers and academic freedom.
If you have gopher, the archive is browsable with the command:
If you have Mosiac or some other WWW client, go to
It is available via anonymous ftp to ftp.eff.org (192.77.172.4) in
directory "pub/CAF". It is also available via email. For information
on email access send email to ftpmail@decwrl.dec.com. In the body of
your note include the lines:
[END INLCUDED FILE]
Note: I think that "gopher -p CAF gopher.eff.org" works, instead
of the "... -p academic" mentioned above.
A very good, in-depth discussion of legal issues affecting computers
is "E-Law2.0: Computer Information Systems Law and System Operator
Liability Revisited" by David J. Loundy, available through EFF's gopher.
EFF is a wonderful net resource. They have a lot of online
information pertaining to electronic freedom and privacy, including
actual legal documents and interpretations. gopher to eff.org (via one
of the ways mentioned above) to check it out. For more information on
gopher, see section 5.3
Also, take a look at the Electronic Frontier Canada (EFC) gopher;
David Jones (djones@insight.dcss.McMaster.CA) sent me this info on them:
Those at Canadian institutions who know of recent instances of
"electronic censorship", including bans on Usenet newsgroups,
are encouraged to report it to Electronic Frontier Canada
by sending email to "efc@graceland.uwaterloo.ca"
for inclusion in the EFC archive:
"The Legal List, Law-Related Resources on the Internet and
Elsewhere" by Erik J. Heels is a list of legal resources that may
contain info relating to freedom of information or other net topics.
[BEGIN EXCERPTS FROM INCLUDED FILE: 12]
2.2.1. MAILING LIST. If you wish to be added to "The Legal List"
Mailing List, send a message in the following form:
To: legal-list-request@justice.eliot.me.us
To: legal-list-request@justice.eliot.me.us
2.3. ANONYMOUS FTP. "The Legal List" is available via anonymous
FTP from ftp.midnight.com (Midnight Networks Inc.) as
pub/LegalList/legallist.txt. You may connect to ftp.midnight.com
by anonymous FTP ONLY. (Please do NOT TELNET to ftp.midnight.com.)
If you have e-mail access but you do not have FTP access, you may
want to try DEC's FTP-via-e-mail service, FTPMAIL (see Section 4.1).
To get "The Legal List" via e-mail from DEC's FTPMAIL service, send
the following message to ftpmail@decwrl.dec.com:
connect ftp.midnight.com
2.4. GOPHER. "The Legal List" is available via Gopher from the
University of Southern Maine Gopher site (University of Maine School
of Law, site gopher.usmacs.maine.edu).
2.4.2. OTHER KNOWN GOPHER SITES. "The Legal List" has been posted
to the following Gopher sites:
Do a VERONICA search of "Legal List" to find other sites. (This is
why it's important to include the words "The Legal List v3.0" when
you add "The Legal List" to your Gopher site.)
<+> 2.5. USENET. "The Legal List" is posted on initial release to
misc.legal.moderated and periodically to other newsgroups (e.g.
misc.legal, misc.legal.computing, misc.answers, and news.answers).
It is also available via anonymous FTP from rtfm.mit.edu
as /pub/usenet/news.answers/law/net-resources/ files part1-part3.
To obtain a copy via e-mail from this site, send a message to
mail-server@rtfm.mit.edu with the following lines in it:
send usenet/news.answers/law/net-resources/part1
These words of James Madison, if anything, are of greater
significance now then when they were first written. We, as a
society, are at a point where whether we are going to live in an
"Information Age" is no longer at issue. We are. The only
question which remains is what we are going to do about it--whether
we, as a society, will be able to use this new technology to more
effectively "...arm ourselves with the power which knowledge
gives."
Free-Net (tm) community computer systems offer a significant
and innovative answer to that question. They allow people
unparalleled access to some of the best services and resources our
computerized Information Age has to offer; and they do it in a way
which makes them free to the user--in much the same way that our
public library system, for example, has been free to its patrons
for over 100 years.
For underlying it all--underlying all the time and effort
that has gone into the development of the Free-Net concept--is one
simple fact. We can not imagine a 21st Century which does NOT
have free public-access community computer systems, just as our
century had the free public library.
If you agree with that belief; if you agree with us on the
sheer inevitability of public access computing then, please, read
on. This guide is for you.
Thomas M. Grundner, Ed.D
[END EXCERPTS FROM INCLUDED FILE]
* Library Policy Statements
Library Policy Archive
This is an on-line collection of library policy statements. It
includes the American Library Association's Freedom To Read statement
and the ALA Library Bill of Rights. (The ALA material is made
available by permission of the American Library Association.)
If you have gopher, the archive is browsable with the command:
The archive is also accessible via anonymous ftp and email. Ftp to
ftp.eff.org (192.77.172.4). It is in directory "pub/CAF/library".
To get the file(s) by email, send email to ftpmail@decwrl.dec.com. In
the body of your note include the lines:
where
For more information, to make contributions, or to report typos
contact J.S. Greenfield (greeny@eff.org).
[END INCLUDED FILE]
The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) was founded in July of 1990
to ensure that the principles embodied in the Constitution and the Bill
of Rights are protected as new communications technologies emerge.
Since its inception, EFF has worked to shape our nation's communications
infrastructure and the policies that govern it in order to maintain and
enhance First Amendment, privacy and other democratic values. We believe
that our overriding public goal must be the creation of Electronic
Democracy, so our work focuses on the establishment of:
[END INCLUDED FILE]
1.1. PURPOSE AND HISTORY. The purpose of "The Legal List" is to
provide a consolidated list of all of the law-related resources
available on the Internet and elsewhere. I have been "on the
Internet" since 1984. I initially learned about the Internet by
looking over the shoulders of my friends and co-workers (I believe
that this is the way most people learn how to navigate the
Internet), and then I began exploring the Internet for myself. I
spent a great deal of 1992 exploring the Internet in search of law-
related resources, because I wanted to know what law-related
resources were available on the Internet. I was frustrated that of
comprehensive list of such resources did not exist, so I created my
own list. As I discussed what I had been doing with others, they
began to request copies of my list. In August, 1992, I released the
first version. I called this version "beta.4," because it was (and
is) a work in progress.
II. OTHER THAN ELECTRONIC COPYING. Permission is granted to copy
"The Legal List" other than as described in Section I of this notice
(including, but not limited to, printing "The Legal List" or
otherwise making paper copies of it) under the following conditions:
1) This copyright notice must be included with all such copies. 2)
If "The Legal List" is copied other than as described in Section I
of this notice (e.g. if "The Legal List" is printed or photocopied),
the copier must pay $9.17 to the author and must notify the author
that "The Legal List" has been so copied. Payment must be made in
US dollars (check or money order only, payable to "Erik J. Heels")
and mailed to:
The Legal List
[END EXCERPTS FROM INCLUDED FILE]
The newest version is available by ftp from my machine
(isr0906.urh.uiuc.edu) when it's up, in /pub/docs.
This document is always growing. Always feel free to post or send
me information.
Joseph GebisRegional hints -
National service providers:
FTP to ftp.nisc.sri.com:/netinfo and FTP the files whose names begin
with "internet-access..." - there is one for the US, and one for other
countries. They are derived from the WHOLE INTERNET GUIDE, by Ed. Krol.
Note that many of the providers listed in this list only deal with
academic institutions.UK:
ftp to: ftp.demon.co.uk:/pub/archives/uk-internet-list.{lng,sum}
the lng and sum represent the long and summary lists respectively.
Latin America and Caribbean:
Gopher to gopher.rcp.net.pe (Peruvian provider - see entry). A complete
list of contacts for Latin America and the Caribbean is available there.Australia:
There is a "Public Networking in Australia FAQ" but I don't know of a
site where it is archived. It is posted regularly to
"alt.internet.access.wanted". If you're desperate and can't wait, you
can try asking me for a copy... If there isn't too much demand, I'll
respond to requests - otherwise I'll remove this "offer."Germany:
See the "Individual Network" entry, and follow the instructions.France:
FTP to grasp.insa-lyon.fr:/pub/faq-by-newsgroup/soc/soc.culture.french/
culture-french-faq/networking/part{1|2}.
Please write me at:
Louis Raphael
I'll do my best to answer all my mail...2.3 Open nntp sites
If you do not want to use a not-for-profit or commercial news
provider, there are open nntp sites that allow almost anyone with shell
access and a news reader to read and post news. There used to be a list
of open nntp sites, but those sites have since shut down. However,
there are still some open nntp sites out there.
2.4 Gopher
Usenet news is available through gopher. To find it, search for
"usenet news -t7" in veronica, or use these sites:
[BEGIN INCLUDED FILE: 3]
2.5 Mail to news gateways
Mail to news gateways are sites that will take any article given to
them and forward it to news. For information on these, mail
mg5n+remailers@andrew.cmu.edu with any message, or finger
remailer@chaos.berkeley.edu.
Anonymous postings to usenet can be made by sending anonymous mail to
one of the following mail-to-usenet gateways:
Some of these change fairly often.2.6 Internet services list
This is not a direct way to access news, but it does list many
places, and it changes often.2.7 I only have access to...
...telnet ...email ...ftp ...gopher
...telnet.
With access to telnet, you can access any of the free services
providers listed above. You can also access one of the many gopher
servers that will allow you to read news. These are listed in the
internet services list. Information on this list is in section 1.7.
Here's the relevant information from the latest version I have:
offers: Access to other services, gophers, documents, etc. (Login:
gopher)
From http://info.cern.ch/hypertext/WWW/FAQ/Bootstrap.html#z11
via Carl M. Kadie:
....email.
Many groups are mirrored in a mailing list; also, some sites have
ftp archives. The best way to find if the group you are interested in
has this service is to check the faq; these faqs are available through
the ftp site rtfm.mit.edu.
[END EXCERPTS FROM INCLUDED FILE] ...ftp.
Many newsgroups are archived. The best way to find out about this
is to check the faq for that group, available at rtfm.mit.edu.....gopher.
News is directly available through gopher; search for "usenet" in
veronica, or look at the list above. Also, you can gopher to any of the
above gopher sites to see some very full-featured gopher sites.
Other Information and Resources (Internet)/
Tools for surfing the net/
Telnet Resources/
Open telnet/
gopher.tv.umn.edu:
1/
FTP Searches/
Popular FTP Sites via Gopher/
Chapter 3: Ethics of Banned Newsgroups
3.1 What is a "banned newsgroup"?
A "banned newsgroup" in the strictest sense of the phrase would be
a newsgroup to which access has been denied because of the content of
material in that newsgroup. However, in this faq, I use a looser
sense of the phrase: basically, any newsgroup to which access is
impossible, difficult through normal methods, or restricted in any way.3.2 Should news administrators be allowed to ban newsgroups?
It is becoming clearer and clearer in this information age that
newsgroups (and all electronic communication) are analogous to
libraries. Because of this, the rules and ethics that apply to
libraries should be applied to newsgroups.
3.3 Should people be allowed to describe how to receive banned newsgroups?
Obviously, I believe so, since I am writing this faq. However, this
information is already out there; both in forms of getting banned
newsgroups, and just as general internet services. Not much information
in this faq is new; it just hasn't always been in one spot at one time.
3.4 Are newsgroups libraries?
Carl M. Kadie has made this wonderful statement, that pretty much
sums it up:California:
"'School library' means an organized collection of printed
and audiovisual materials which (a) is administered as a unit, (b) is
located in a designed place, and (c) makes printed, audiovisual, and
other materials as well as necessary equipment and services of a staff
accessible to elementary and secondary school students and teachers."Maine:
"'Media center' means any library utilizing print as well as
extensive nonprint resources and materials."Pennsylvania:
"'Local Library.' Any free, public, nonsectrian library,
whether established and maintained by a municipality or by a private
association, corporation or group, which serves the informational,
educational and recreational needs of all the residents of the area
for which its governing body is responsible, by providing free access
(including free lending and reference services) to an organized and
currently useful collection of printed items and other materials and
to the services of staff trained to recognized and provide for these
needs."South Dakota:
"'Public library materials,' the various forms in which
knowledge, information, and humanity's cultural heritage
are recorded that a public library might acquire, organized and
make available to its clientele;"Washington State:
"'Resources' are library materials which include but
are not limited to print, nonprint (e.g., audiovisual, realia, etc.),
and microform formats; network resources such as software, hardware,
and equipment; electronic and magnetic records; data bases;
communication technology; facilities; and human expertise."3.5 Do we really need this faq?
If you are at a well-connected site, you may not see the need for
this document. However, consider these recent real-world examples:
3.6 Online references pertaining to electronic freedom and privacy
News is a great place to discuss electronic rights. Some newsgroups
that are good to read are:
Chapter 4: Legalities of Banned Newsgroups
Disclaimer: I'm not a lawyer.4.1 Legal responsibilities of news administrators
There are basically two ways of looking at usenet. The first way
is like a bookstore; there is no way the bookstore can be expected to
scan through all the books it has to see which ones may contain
material that is illegal or immoral. The second way is like an
official newsletter, in which the editor is responsible for all the
material contained within it.
1) Is it designed to be sexually arousing?
2) Is it arousing in a way that one's local community would consider
unhealthy or immoral?
3) Does it depict acts whose depictions are specifically prohibited by
state law?
4) Does the work, when taken as a whole, lack significant literary,
artistic, scientific, or social value?4.2 Is it legal to describe how to receive banned newsgroups?
Yes. Generally, it's not illegal to distribute information about
how to do things; people have been distributing information on how to
make bombs, how to steal things, and how to modify electronic equipment
for a long time, and it's totally legal to describe how to do so.
of the United States of America4.3 Legal references pertaining to banned newsgroups
Carl M. Kadie is in charge of a wonderful reference of legal and
ethical documents pertaining to freedom of information, especially
electronic information.
gopher -p academic gopher.eff.org
http://www.eff.org/CAF/cafhome.html
connect ftp.eff.org
cd /pub/CAF
get caf
cd /pub/CAF/faq
get archive
gopher -p "1/community/efc" ee.mcgill.ca
Subject: subscribe John Smith
Hi,
I saw a reference to "The Legal List" on CompuServe.
Thanks,
- John
The SUBJECT of the message should contain your real name. I always
like to hear where you learned about "The Legal List," so if you
include this information in the BODY of the message, I would greatly
appreciate it! Version 4.0 of "The Legal List" (as well as other
announcements) will be mailed to those on this Mailing List. To
cancel your subscription to this Mailing List, send a message in the
following form:
Subject: unsubscribe
Please allow up to ONE WEEK for a reply to messages sent to
legal-list-request@justice.eliot.me.us. (If you send multiple
subscription requests, you will get multiple responses. However,
duplicate addresses are removed before any messages are sent to
those on "The Legal List" Mailing List, so you should not receive
multiple copies of any messages.)
ascii
get /pub/LegalList/README
get /pub/LegalList/legallist.txt
quit
The files will be e-mailed to you in a day or so. If you have
problems with FTPing to ftp.midnight.com, send a message to
admin@midnight.com or legal-list@justice.eliot.me.us.
Law Related Sources/Legal List...
send usenet/news.answers/law/net-resources/part2
send usenet/news.answers/law/net-resources/part3
quit
[END EXCERPTS FROM INCLUDED FILE]Chapter 5: Further information on references mentioned
5.1 Information on Freenets
[BEGIN EXCERPTS FROM INCLUDED FILE: 13]
A popular government without popular information, or the means of
acquiring it, is but a prologue to a farce or a tragedy, or perhaps
both. Knowledge will forever govern ignorance, and a people
who mean to be their own governors must arm themselves with the
power which knowledge gives.
President5.2 Information on Library Policy Statements Archive Access
[BEGIN INCLUDED FILE: 14]
[part of the Computers and Academic Freedom (CAF) Archive
[part of the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) Archive]]
gopher -p1/CAF/library gopher.eff.org
connect ftp.eff.org
cd /pub/CAF/library
get
get 5.3 Information on EFF
[BEGIN INCLUDED FILE: 15]
5.4 Information on the Legal List
[BEGIN EXCERPTS FROM INCLUDED FILE: 12]
Copyright (c) 1994 Erik J. Heels
All rights reserved, except the following:
Attn: Erik J. Heels
39 Main Street
Eliot, ME 03903-2234Chapter 6: Information on this Faq
"They accused us of suppressing freedom of expression. This was a lie
and we could not let them publish it."
6.1 Who compiled this faq?
This faq was compiled by Joseph Gebis (j-gebis@uiuc.edu).
6.2 How do I submit additions, comments, and corrections?
Mail anything to banned-faq@uiuc.edu. I also try to read
alt.censorship and related newsgroups, but mailing me is the most
certain way to get info to me.6.3 How do I get the latest version of the faq?
This faq is posted approximately once a month to alt.censorship,
alt.comp.acad-freedom.talk, alt.internet.services, news.misc,
alt.answers, and news.answers. It is available through ftp from
rtfm.mit.edu, in /pub/usenet/news.answers/usenet/banned-groups-faq. You
can retreive this by mail by using the ftp-by-mail service mentioned
above, or by mailing me (banned-faq@uiuc.edu).6.4 What other information do you need?
Well, anything you have is useful. Send me comments, opinions, and
especially, legal info. Also, this information can get out of date; if
you notice anything that is, mail me.6.5 Is there an html version on this faq?
Not yet. Any volunteers? If not, I'll do it eventually. It's
available plaintext now on the web at
http://www.cen.uiuc.edu/~jg11772/banned.faq.html,
but I would like to
get a real html version sooner or later.6.6 Who are all the wonderful people that added information to the faq?
6.7 Who else needs to be thanked?
6.8 References
1: The Internet Services List, by Scott A. Yanoff
(yanoff@csd4.csd.uwm.edu). This file is available by fingering
yanoff@csd4.csd.uwm.edu
.
2: FSLIST, by Louis Raphael (raphael@orion.login.qa.ca). This file
is available by anonymous ftp from login.qc.ca in /pub/fslist/FSLISTXX.
3: Admin/Access List, by Carl M. Kadie (kadie@eff.org). This file
is available by anonymous ftp from ftp.eff.org in /pub/CAF/admin/access.
4: Info On Anonymous Remailers, by Matthew Ghio
(mg5n+@andrew.cmu.edu). This file is available by mailing
mg5n+remailers@andrew.cmu.edu, or by fingering
remailer@chaos.berkeley.edu.
5: REGULATIONS, POLICIES, AND PROCEDURES AFFECTING ACCESS TO LIBRARY
RESOURCES AND SERVICES: An Interpretation of the LIBRARY BILL OF RIGHTS,
by the American Library Association. This file is available by
anonymous ftp from ftp.eff.org in /pub/CAF/library/access.policies.ala.
6: The Library Bill of Rights, by the American Library Association.
This file is available by anonymous ftp from ftp.eff.org in
/pub/CAF/library/bill-of-.ala.
7: The Librarian Code of Ethics, from Intellectual Freedom Manual,
by the American Library Association. This file is available by
anonymous ftp from ftp.eff.org in /pub/CAF/library/ethics.ala.
8: A Code of Ethics for Information Scientists, from Bulletin of the
American Society for Information Science (August/September 1990). This
file is available by anonymous ftp from ftp.eff.org in
/pub/CAF/library/ethics.asis.
9: What is a libary?, by Carl M. Kadie (kadie@eff.org). This file
is available by anonymous ftp from ftp.eff.org in
/pub/CAF/library/library-netnews-analogy.
10: "Sex and the Single Sysadmin", by Mike Godwin
(mnemonic@eff.org). This file is available by anonymous ftp from
ftp.eff.org in /pub/Publications/Mike_Godwin/obscene.IW.
11: CAF Access Info. This file is available by anonymous ftp from
ftp.eff.org in /pub/CAF/README.
12: The Legal List, by Erik J. Heels
(legal-list@justice.eliot.me.us). This file is available by anonymous
ftp from ftp.midnight.com in /pub/LegalList/legallist.txt.
13: Freenet Information, by Thomas M. Grundner.
14: Library Policy Archive Access Information. This file is
available by anonymous ftp from ftp.eff.org in /pub/CAF/library/README.
15: EFF Introductory Information. This file is available by
anonymous ftp from ftp.eff.org in /pub/about.eff.6.9 Disclaimer
This article is Copyright 1994 by Joseph Gebis. It may be
freely redistributed in its entirety provided that this notice, and the
author's name, is not removed. It may not be sold for profit or
incorporated in commercial documents without the written permission of
the copyright holder. Permission is expressly granted for this document
to be made available for file transfer from installations offering
unrestricted anonymous file transfer on the Internet. This document is
provided as is without any express or implied warranty. Nothing in this
article represents the views of the Univeristy of Illinois or any other
organization.
j-gebis@uiuc.edu
http://www.cen.uiuc.edu/~jg11772/home.html