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From: lauren@vortex.UUCP (Lauren Weinstein)
Newsgroups: net.news,net.ai,net.legal
Subject: Re: Software to screen future net news.
Message-ID: <499@vortex.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 8-Jan-85 23:22:44 EST
Article-I.D.: vortex.499
Posted: Tue Jan  8 23:22:44 1985
Date-Received: Fri, 11-Jan-85 23:23:10 EST
References: <1326@eosp1.UUCP>
Organization: Vortex Technology, Los Angeles
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Xref: watmath net.news:2941 net.ai:2459 net.legal:1266

I don't have any intention of letting software take the place of
human screeners in any system that I have anything to do with.  All
it takes is one slip and problems could result.  If people
are doing the screening, you can at least show that you made
reasonable attempts to provide protection.  If you rely on
software, you are just asking to be laughed out of court.
I'd be amused if someone could find a SINGLE national publication or news
organization that would be willing to put material on a national
network, when it was submitted anonymously by the public and only
screened by software.  GOOD LUCK.

The whole concept of having AI software try to detect things
like even OBVIOUS libel is ridiculous in any case.  I'd sure like
to see the software that could detect the potential trouble in the
following...

"Yes, the diode ratios are indeed negatively biased, but remember
that flow control can be inactive in areas of high gain.  By the
way, does everyone out there know about the guy who runs the
computer over at the big diode company on the net?  Yeah, you know
the one, the one that posted that message about skinning chipmunks
to the net last week.  Well, I hope you all realize that he
does terrible things to young people.  Yes, he has a long record
of acts that would certainly make him unsuitable for employment
by any company with any sense.  He doesn't even really
deserve to be alive.  I hope his boss fires him, and nobody 
else will hire him.  Anyway, the diode matrices can be best
determined by..."

----

Now, if this had been a real message, enough was said that could
result in the person being spoken about (who even though not
named, was clearly indicated in a manner that most net people
could understand) getting VERY upset, especially
if he lost his job as a result of the message.

This is only a trivial example.  I submit that designing messages
that could bypass automatic non-human screening would be 
exceedingly trivial in nearly all cases, given the current
state of the art.

However, this discussion is purely an academic exercise in AI as far
as I am concerned.  So dream on...

--Lauren--