Re: Massey, CEO of Compuserve, on Internet

[Michael Handler <grendel@netaxs.com>]

On Fri, 29 Dec 1995, Timothy C. May wrote:

> Wow! I am watching the CEO of Compuserve being interviewed on CNBC,
> explaining how his company is "taking the high road by complying with the
> laws of Germany" in removing access to 200 Usenet groups.

A blatant lie.

Newsgroups: alt.online-service.compuserve,comp.org.eff.talk
From: tomklem@netcom.com (Tom Klemesrud)
Subject: Re: Compuserve lies about the Germans
Message-ID: <tomklemDKDBnr.15F@netcom.com>
 
[ ... ] 
Compuserve CEO Massey appeared on CNBC and said that Compuserve was
only obeying the (German) law.  However, the AP article makes it clear 
that there is no such German law--that there is only an investigation 
going on in Germany as th exactly what is on the internet.  Compuserve 
was not asked to censor anything, according to the AP article.  
Compuserve has apparently used this episode as a excuse to do what it
was already predisposed to do, in my opinion.

[ end ]

From: tc <72417.1514@compuserve.com>
Newsgroups: alt.online-service.compuserve,comp.org.eff.talk
Subject: Re: Compuserve lies about the Germans
Message-ID: <4c222o$jc3@dub-news-svc-4.compuserve.com>
 
CompuServe is starting to look worse and worse in this thing.  I'm
still waiting for the real story.  Here is an excerpt from a story on the
AP:
 
       <stuff deleted>
   Munich prosecutor Manfred Wick confirmed Friday that Bavarian state
police investigators searched CompuServe's networks and computers last
month for child pornography, but he would not say what they found.
   "We didn't threaten them with charges," Wick said.
   Arno Edelmann, a CompuServe product manager in Unterhaching,
Germany, said Friday that the company blocked access to 200
sex-oriented newsgroups in a portion of the Internet called Usenet.
   "It is perhaps an overreaction but we want to cooperate with the
Bavarian prosecutor's office," Edelmann said.
       <stuff deleted>
[ end ]

And herein lie the pitfalls of trying to establish a global ISP
presence.

I'm with Tom Klemesrud on this one. CI$ is trying to lick some boots
to get a position as a _capo_ when Der Revolution begins.

Michael, rec.arts.erotica and soc.support.youth.gay-lesbian-bi
moderator (both banned by CI$). As far as I'm concerned, CI$ is
no longer welcome to any articles from my group; I'll mangle the Path:
header as necessary to insure they never get there.
--
Michael Handler <grendel@netaxs.com>      <URL:http://www.netaxs.com/~grendel>