Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version VT1.00C 11/1/84; site vortex.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!allegra!mit-eddie!genrad!decvax!vortex!lauren From: lauren@vortex.UUCP (Lauren Weinstein) Newsgroups: net.news.stargate Subject: Re: Need for Stargate screening? Message-ID: <508@vortex.UUCP> Date: Fri, 18-Jan-85 15:53:45 EST Article-I.D.: vortex.508 Posted: Fri Jan 18 15:53:45 1985 Date-Received: Mon, 21-Jan-85 01:17:44 EST References: <4946@utzoo.UUCP> Organization: Vortex Technology, Los Angeles Lines: 23 Actually, the new data encoding/decoding system that would be used in a real service (as opposed to the older equipment being used in the current experiment) will already be providing a form of encryption. Encryption, unfortunately, does not alter the fact of useless, repetitive, libelous, or illegal (e.g. credit card numbers) postings that could still appear without screening. In other words, the fact that you've encrypted a libelous message before sending it out to N thousand people who can decrypt it doesn't change the fact that the message was sent. All that encryption does is protect against unknowing people accidently stumbling across something they might find offensive. This might be adequate in net.jokes in the current network (though I doubt if it would stand up if tested) but it is certainly not of any significant value in a national/international broadcast situation, at least not in the context under discussion right now. If a newspaper published a list of stolen credit card numbers but said, "you can only read this article if you add "13" to each character," they'd still be in the same trouble that they'd have been in if they published the text in the clear. --Lauren--