[729] in Commercialization & Privatization of the Internet
Re: Let 100 Backbones Bloom!
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (alison@osc.edu)
Thu May 23 16:46:37 1991
From: alison@osc.edu
Date: Thu, 23 May 1991 16:40:53 -0400
In-Reply-To: Stephen Wolff <steve@cise.nsf.gov>
To: Stephen Wolff <steve@cise.nsf.gov>, Stephen D Crocker <crocker@TIS.COM>
Cc: com-priv@psi.com
The proposed new OARnet acceptable use policy which the members are now
mulling over states that customers who connect to OARnet must abide by
the acceptable use policies of OARnet, that OARnet will be responsible
for informing its customers of the acceptable use policies of any network
to which OARner DIRECTLY attaches, and that OARnet assumes no responsibility
for enforcing any acceptable use policies of other networks beyond informing
its customers that they are in violation of some other network's policy
if the other network so informs OARnet.
While at first glance this might appear somewhat antisocial, OARnet has
the same problem that end users do in that we can't possibly know about
all the use policies and we certainly can't police them. We want to
provide some protection for our customers so they don't feel they are
responsible for knowing and observing every policy everywhere. Since
everything is a bit of a mess temporarily, this seems like the best we
can do. We expect that if we inform one of our customers that there is
a problem that they will voluntarily either stop doing it or stop doing
it and disconnect from OARnet because we have ceased to offer anything
of value. Great situation in which to sell services, isn't it???
