Re: UK ISPs v. US ISPs (was RE: Network Level Content Blocking)

["Stephen Sprunk" <stephen () sprunk org>]

Thus spake "Kradorex Xeron" <admin () digibase ca>
> From my view, ISPs should continue their role as "passing the
> packets" and not say what their users can or cannot view. It's
> when ISPs start interfering with what their users do is when we
> will run into legal, political and otherwise issues that I'm sure
> none of us want to see.

IIRC, AOL got whacked by a court years ago because they censored some chat 
rooms and not others.  The court held that since they censored some content, 
they lost their status as a common carrier and were liable for other content 
they didn't censor (either by intent or mistake).  This was a particularly 
interesting case, since the implication was that ISPs who _don't_ censor 
content _are_ common carriers, which I don't think has otherwise been 
touched upon in the US.

S

Stephen Sprunk      "Those people who think they know everything
CCIE #3723         are a great annoyance to those of us who do."
K5SSS                                             --Isaac Asimov