[IP] Re: Verizon Rejects Messages of Abortion Rights Group -- a try at censurship

[David Farber <dave@farber.net>]

Begin forwarded message:

From: "Sam Simon" <ssimon@idi.net>
Date: September 27, 2007 8:51:19 AM EDT
To: <dave@farber.net>
Subject: RE: [IP] Verizon Rejects Messages of Abortion Rights Group   
-- a try at censurship

Dave

I think your headline is really unfair.  What is going on here of course
should be an embarrassment to Verizon -- but at the end of the day it is
an example of how idiotic and inappropriate Terms of Service -- applied
correctly -- have an absurd result, NOT a "try" at censurship.

Having said that -- this is in fact reminiscent of many similar issues
over time that have arisen when technology changes and adapts.  I have
not seen the other carriers TOS, apparently they are ahead of the game
on this stuff.  Do you recall these same debates when 976 services were
offered?

Verizon is in a "just say no" posture on almost anything non-commercial
over the TXT service offering.   They mix what I would consider sound
policy -- "No alcohol advertising" -- with stupid policy focused only on
content -- "txt's that have an agenda."  wow.

There are always tough questions in these matters, and I suspect  you
have ACLU in one corner and some of them civil rights groups in the
other.  Should carriers accept TXT campaigns that involve hate speech?
These are not new debates.

My guess is that most people in Verizon right now are kicking themselves
and trying to move quickly to come up with a modern and reasonable
policy.  Maybe not one that the ACLU would jump on, but certainly better
than what is there now.

Sam




-----Original Message-----
From: David Farber [mailto:dave@farber.net]
Sent: Thursday, September 27, 2007 8:25 AM
To: ip@v2.listbox.com
Subject: [IP] Verizon Rejects Messages of Abortion Rights Group -- a try
at censurship


NATIONAL   | September 27, 2007
Verizon Rejects Messages of Abortion Rights Group By ADAM LIPTAK Verizon
Wireless denied a request from Naral Pro-Choice America to use its
network for a text-message program.


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