Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.3 4.3bsd-beta 6/6/85; site ucbvax.ARPA Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!cmcl2!seismo!lll-crg!dual!ucbvax!allynh From: allynh@ucbvax.ARPA (Allyn Hardyck) Newsgroups: net.misc Subject: Disclaimers Message-ID: <9784@ucbvax.ARPA> Date: Thu, 8-Aug-85 19:52:30 EDT Article-I.D.: ucbvax.9784 Posted: Thu Aug 8 19:52:30 1985 Date-Received: Mon, 12-Aug-85 02:18:21 EDT Reply-To: allynh@ucbvax.UUCP (Allyn Hardyck) Organization: University of California at Berkeley Lines: 21 I'm sure there's already been a discussion on this that I somehow missed so maybe someone can send me the gist of it, otherwise.. Disclaimers are becoming more and more widespread, either with a semi-humorous or matter-of-fact style, from mostly company machines. Now there are two reasons for their existence that I can see: 1) People are somehow becoming conscientious of their postings and voluntarily disavow the company's knowledge of their actions. This I doubt (pardon my scepticism). 2) The companies are (politely?) asking that people put it in their messages (I can just see a default .disclaimer file) to prevent becoming part of the latest wave of multimillion-dollar lawsuits by someone taking offense at some random posting. While a safe move, it seems to me to be a clear violation of personal rights - who are they to say what you put in your letters? And hold some punishment over your head if you fail to? I personally doubt a disclaimer would stop anyone from including a company in a libel suit or whatever. allyn