At 12:07 AM 5/14/97 +0900, Eng-Leong \"Jacky\" Foo wrote:
>I like to present a recent incident and I would like to get your opinion on
>the code of ethics and relationship between server managers and listowners.
>
>I own a number of lists and manage some of them with other listowners. I am
>also the person-in-charge of mailing list services, i.e. I help and teach
>the academic community to run their activities using mailing lists and
>eventually let to manage their lists by themselves.
Same here at idbsu.edu. I'm in much the same position.
>This late afternoon my ownership of some of the lists that I manage solely
>were transfered by the administrator (who is a pain in the ass to most of
>the academic staff) to someone else (a friend). In the early afternoon I
>happened to call the administrator on another matter and he informed me
>that most of my lists will be transferred to a new person. I told him that
>I have not been informed by the director and he should not do it without my
>consent. I then wrote a memo on this to the director. Even then, this guy
>made the transfer of listownship.
Stuff happens. Sounds to me like the usual Three P's of working in an
organization: politics, personalities, and power. As to what all of those
are about in your situation, I'll leave to you...plus you probably don't
want to get into any MORE on a public list than you've done already.
You've already said a couple things that I wouldn't in a public forum. For
all you know I'm an old buddy of some of the folks involved. The way folks
move around in the profession, that isn't unlikely. (NO, I don't know
anyone there, but....)
>Q: what are the various issues involved here ?
Power, politics, personalities.
>Q: what are the code of ethics that an administrator could have follow ?
I'd call that a local issue. I don't know of anything "standard" that
would do you any good.
>Q: How is it technically done - that an administrator can enter into a
>mailing list and change the listowners name without the list password and
>without the listowner's consent ? What are the legal issues inolved ?
Listowners have certain privileges. Others have higher privileges,
including the LISTSERV Administrator. Anyone who knows the appropriate
login(s) and password(s) can do it. Or the boss could have ordered the
person with those privileges to do it. No legal issues I know of. I
consider owning a list to be a privilege, not a right. And like any
privilege it can be removed at any time, for any reason, including no
reason.
>Q: scenario: if he claims that he has been given the order by the director
>to make the change (the director is on mission now), should he consult with
>me first or does the administrator have the full rights to act without
>informing me ?
Except for hackers, I consider anyone with a legitimate level of authority
on the system to have the rights they've been given. Nothing requires good
communications, however. It would be polite to inform you first....but no
law requires it. I know you're in Japan at United Nations University, and
of course the laws or protocols could be different there. I'm speaking of
American business practices, but don't think anything is different in the
things I'm talking about.
Also, for a person in American business (and I imagine in most places),
there won't BE a warning on many such things. At the Fortune 50
electronics company where my wife works, if someone with access to a system
is being terminated, there is a carefully orchestrated procedure. The
person is called into a manager's office for a discussion. As soon as the
door closes system managers removes all privileges to all accounts the
person has, and a security guard assumes a position outside the door where
the meeting is happening. When the meeting is over the guard escorts the
person to his desk to clean out personal effects (and they watch that very
carefully), turn over company property, magnetic access badges, parking
permit, etc. The person is then escorted to his car and followed off the
secure site. And this isn't even for a company that does defense or
military work on the site. Actually, the university here does much the
same, usually minus the security guard. It is the only way to protect the
assets on the computers.
Note: I'm NOT suggested that you did anything wrong, or should have had the
listowner privileges removed....that is back to the three Ps.
cheers and good luck....but I sure don't know of anything you could use to
fight it, unless there is some sort of discrimination going on. In my
experience if the bosses don't like you, whether for good or bad reason,
you might as well be looking already.
dan
Dan Lester
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In the kingdom of the blind, the one-eyed man is king. Erasmus, 1534
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