I think that there are two issues here. First, if I call up someone and have a "banned" conversation with them, or if I give someone an illegally copied piece of software, the phone company or the bus company are not responsible for what I did that was illegal. They provided the service that enabled me to do what I did but they did not participate in the crime as it was I who committed the crime. The government should come after me, not them. Same on the internet. The party that sells me service (or gasoline for my car) does not help me in the crime. All they did was legal: they helped me get from A to Z. Second, spamming is a process that is unique to computers. It is the system that enables spammers to operate that is also used, 99% of the time, for good communications. The spammers are the ones that we should go after, but: a) You would be VERY hard pressed to prove actual damages; b) You would have to make a strong case to say why spamming is or should be illegal. Just to say that you don't like it or that it is off-topic on a list IS NOT enough! c) You would have to show malicious intent AND/OR that the person KNEW BEFOREHAND that this would evoke a negative reaction. Also, please keep in mind that since your provider (commercial or otherwise) gives you access to the net, that the person who sends it out would be under the jurisdiction of HIS OR HER provider, and not yours. It is their agreement that would be legally binding first. You would have to prove that YOUR terms were violated KNOWINGLY by said person, which would be next to impossible as people don't sign a million agreements (one with each provider). Lastly, as I see it, all our sites agree to exchange mail. This means, in effect, that we will accept anything from anyone in exchange for the right to send out the same. If we start to get into what is banned or not, we run the same risks that we are now facing in the country: banning and censoring at will and losing the freedom we cherish. My personal opinion is that this should be one place that should not follow the national backward trend. ** ------------------------------------------------------------------ ** ** Geert K. Marien : [log in to unmask] (Bitnet: GKMQC@PUCC) ** ** ListOwner: AIRLINE, NODEINFO, RAILROAD, STAMPS, The INDIA List ** ** (All contents are my own opinions - unless otherwise stated) ** ** ------------------------------------------------------------------ **