At 7:03 PM 2/9/96, Alexander Chislenko wrote:

Now if your child wants to go over to Billy's, you may want to call Billy's mom and ask her what her V-Chip settings are. Do not forget to ask her when was the last time she beat Billy at any computer game...

It seems to me that by the logic--and possibly the direct language--of the Communications Decency Act, parents who "expose" the children of others to higher levels of V-Chip ratings than they get at home would themselves be liable. Plus, how long will it be before Children's Protective Services interviews children at their schools to determine if parents have set their V-Chip levels too high? Will divorcing parents demand specific V-Chip settings when the kids are at the ex-spouse's place? Or use the V-Chip settings in custody battles? ("My ex-husband has a setting of 2-3-2, according to my son, and I find this completely unacceptable.") Maybe we'll see "V-Chip Settings Escrow." "Under this system, V-Chip settings must be voluntarily escrowed with Child Protective Services. Should an incident of abuse be alleged, the escrowed V-Chip settings can be examined by social service workers for evidence of deviant viewing behaviors." --Tim May Boycott espionage-enabled software! We got computers, we're tapping phone lines, we know that that ain't allowed. ---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---- Timothy C. May | Crypto Anarchy: encryption, digital money, tcmay@got.net 408-728-0152 | anonymous networks, digital pseudonyms, zero W.A.S.T.E.: Corralitos, CA | knowledge, reputations, information markets, Higher Power: 2^756839 - 1 | black markets, collapse of governments. "National borders aren't even speed bumps on the information superhighway."