From: Ross A. Finlayson (RAF@tomco.net)
Date: Tue Apr 06 1999 - 15:20:32 MDT
No, they didn't. Sending an e-mail to someone with an active computer
virus is an attack and a denial of service, not an expression of free
speech. Sending the source code for a virus or, for example, encryption
software, is an expression of free speech.
Those people who got afflicted with this Melissa macro (I won't call it a
virus, viruses are cool and take skill) are at fault for using insecure
communication methods, but that doesn't mean that they in any way consented
to a denial of service or any other invasion of and atack upon rights. The
foremost experts in virus software happen to make it.
People assume too much from this tacit agreement stuff, and shifting the
topic, informed consumerism is a difficult thing to achieve. These
predatory, for example, phone companies, will take your words out of
context to defraud your money. Also, they will mislead you to the extent
they can to try and get you to agree to services never used and further
steal your money. Many predatory as opposed to competitive organizations
exist, for now.
Whenever you have fees that are incorrect, request that they be waived.
Always get itemized fee lists from your service providers, because if one
doesn't take a very accurate examination of these things, and anyways, one
will find that one is being billed for unused services and other things.
These companies are defrauding you, and when they take your money and don't
return it, that is theft pure and simple.
There are a lot of two-bit crooks and incompetents in this world who get
along by defrauding people. They will find the future much less conducive
to their thieveries.
This leads us to the topic of jurisprudence in a digital age, and the
future ability for many people to be much more protected against these
vultures that screw little old ladies.
I believe some things we shall soon see are jurimetrics and semi-automated
class actions. In the future, as soon as someone starts defrauding anyone
or a group, they will quickly be denied and their punishment will be
decreed by empirical analysis, besides mitigating factors. As one consumer
is defrauded, they can inform all the others. The ability for consumers
and providers to educate each other over the free speech space of the
Internet will prevail.
In real estate transactions, written agreements are necessary for legal
validity.
An agreement that is not put forth in good faith for completion is invalid
and unethical.
Randall Randall wrote:
> I've lately thought that on Tue, 06 Apr 1999, Peter C. McCluskey wrote:
> >spike66@ibm.net (Spike Jones) writes:
>
> > The first amendment only protects speech that listeners can ignore
> >if they don't consent to hearing.
>
> But everyone that opened the thing *did* consent. ;-)
>
> --
> Wolfkin.
> wolfkin@freedomspace.net | Libertarian webhost? www.freedomspace.net
> On a visible but distant shore, a new image of man;
> The shape of his own future, now in his own hands.-- Johnny Clegg.
Libertarianism, to some extent, is the nature of the Internet.
Ross F.
-- Ross Andrew Finlayson 202/387-8208 http://www.tomco.net/~raf/ "C is the speed of light."
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