Re: Usenet Fraud

jmrubin_at_ix.netcom.com (Joel Rubin) wrote:

>I am not a lawyer, so this free advice is worth what you are paying for it.
>But, it occurs to me that Usenet/mail forgery may be legal, violation of torte
>law or criminal, depending on its nature and motivation. For example, consider
>the following forged post:
 

>[begin]
>From: president_at_whitehouse.gov
>Date: April 1, 1996 00:00:00 GMT
>Group: dc.jobs.offered
 

>Wanted--secretary. Female, big breasts. Need not be able to type. Apply 1600
>Pennsylvania Avenue, Lincoln Bedroom.
>[end]
 

>I should think that this post is probably legal. Anyone with any sense can see
>that it is a political satire and, in the U.S., protected by the first
>amendment. Considering what I have seen of British satire of the royals, I
>should think that it would be equally legal in England.

I don't know (being British) how you derived the content of the fake e-mail above, but in the UK that e-mail could be considered libellous (I can't spell....) unless it was a fair comment based on recent *news* (and not some theory you cannot substantiate).

See ya,

Daz

"When childhood dies, its corpses become adults" Received on Mon Apr 29 1996 - 00:00:00 CEST