Date: Wed, 24 Jan 1996 19:47:43 -0800 (PST) From: Rex Wockner Subject: New info on CIS/Usenet (fwd) ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Wed, 24 Jan 1996 22:12:25 -0500 (EST) From: Gareth Fenley Subject: New info on CIS/Usenet ------------------------ PLEASE RE-POST wherever the CIS/Usenet controversy is under discussion. ------------------------ Ever since I learned of the suspension of several dozen Usenet newsgroups by CompuServe Information Service (CIS), including the superb and 100% non-pornographic moderated group soc.support.youth.gay-lesbian-bi, I have written to the company during every single login on my personal CIS account. I have gotten several boilerplate letters, which are widely distributed by now. Yesterday I received my first personal response -- copy below. I will continue to lobby CIS at the company's own expense during every login until the newsgroups are restored. Why? To demonstrate the intensity of my concern. I encourage others to do the same. Keep their feet to the fire, and stoke the flames! How? If you have a CIS account, GO FEEDBACK. This puts you in a free area; the company pays for your use of its system. Select the subject areas of Communication, Internet, and Usenet to file your comments in the proper category. The shortcut command, if your interface program will accept it, is GO FBK-13. If you don't have a CIS account, email your comments to: 70006.101@compuserve.com In the subject line, put: Feedback (Ref #4902) ***Gareth Fenley****gfenley@cis.compuserve.com*** --------- Date: 18-Jan-96 08:50 EST From: CompuServe [70006,101] Subj: Feedback reply (Ref #4902) To: Gareth Fenley Fr: Pete Costanzo, CompuServe Technical Support Re: USENET I am writing this letter to you in regard to your concern about the TEMPORARY suspension of certain Internet USENET newsgroups. I have addressed this below. The previous message you received from Melissa was correct. Each of the newsgroups that was suspended was specifically identified to CompuServe by the German authorities as illegal under German criminal law. CompuServe did not select any groups or determine the nature of the newsgroups that have been impacted by this action. Since we are unable to suspend access to this area to any one country or group of members, access to these groups has been suspended on the entire system until this issue can be resolved. We are currently working on a system to restrict only Germany. This will allow us to reopen the suspended areas shortly. Regarding your concern about CompuServe censoring Gay and Lesbian web pages, THIS IS COMPLETELY FALSE. Furthermore, we do not even monitor web pages on the Internet to take such an action. This is an overreaction and a false statement by the party that created the letter you are referring to. Let me reassure you that all the newsgroups that were removed will be put back online as soon as the new system is in place. Until that time, however, the specific newsgroups will not be available. Once we have this system in place, we should not encounter this type of problem again. Thank you for using Feedback! Please let us know if you need further assistance. Pete Costanzo