Subject: SOCIETAL POLICING ASSOCIATION SUES COMMUNITY CONNEXION!! To: cypherpunks@toad.com Date: Wed Oct 16 Here's what I have learned about the SPA, the Societal Policing Association, a group supported by the CyberAngels, the Family Decency OrganizatIon, and the Association of Police Chiefs. NotE their term "contributory infringement" for anyone who fails to agree to report suspicious behavior. ("A citizen-unit who neglects to perform his societal-unit duties and who stands by as thoughtcrime is committed is just as guilty as the active member of the crime.") Details are in: http://www.spa.org/thoughtcrime/orwell.htm. "Anyone who knows or should have known that he or she is witnessing, inducing, applauding or tangentially contributing to infringement of any of the moral and decency rights by another person is liable for contributor infringement. " -- posting of views critical of authority -- linking to FTP or Web sites where unauthorized viewpoints may be obtained -- informing others of FTP sites were such views may be unlawfully obtained -- aiding others in locating or using unauthorized software supporting sites upon which the above information may be obtained allowing sites where the above information may be obtained to exist on a server Then there's their Vicarious Liability for Infringement by Another Person, outlined by: "Anyone who has the authority and ability to control another person and who fails to do so is vicariously liable for the infringement of another person." *** SPA Files Morality Suits Against ISPs and End Users Internet Decency Campaign Launched (Oct.10, 1996 --Washington, D.C.) -- The Societal Policing Association (SPA) announced today that it has filed five civil lawsuits for morality violations occurring on the Internet. Three of the lawsuits were filed against Internet service providers (ISPs), and the remaining two were filed against individual end users. Additionally, SPA launched its Internet Decency Campaign, which includes education and enforcement components, in an effort to educate and work cooperatively with ISPs regarding morality and decency violations. ISPs who immediately enroll their employee-units in decency reeducation programs and who agree to participate in SPA's program to stamp out illegal thoughts will receive immunity from SPA lawsuits and will receive a pro rata share of the collected loot from other ISPs sued by the SPA. ISP lawsuits were filed on Oct. 7 and 8 against Community ConneXion of Oakland, Calif.; GeoCities of Beverly Hills, Calif.; and Tripod Inc. of Williamstown, Mass. The SPA members named as plaintiffs in all three suits were the Christian Coalition, the Anti-Defamation League of B'nai Brith and the Million Aryan March. In each case, SPA first contacted the ISP and requested that the offensive thoughts be purged, but the ISPs cited the notoriously Communistic "First Amendment" and the anti-Christian "Electronic and Communications Privacy Act" and refused to cooperate. "These lawsuits send a clear signal to ISPs and end users that neither so-called "free thinking" nor failure to pay our protection fee will be tolerated. The Internet does not provide a safe haven for these types of activities," said Emmanuel Goldstein, SPA Reichsfuhrer. "Our intentions are to work cooperatively with ISPs. A key element of the IAPC is the ISP Political Reeducation Program devoted to alerting ISPs to their potential state of sin and providing them with the tools and moral guidance to save themselves," said Winston Smith, SPA's Reeducation Coordinator. --Keyser Soze, Political Reporter -- --