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List:       best-of-security
Subject:    BoS: Impending moderation of b-o-s
From:       Julian Assange <proff () suburbia ! net>
Date:       1996-04-15 6:17:49
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B-O-Ssers,

Until a month or so ago, the best-of-security charter was being followed
with some dedication by subscribers. That situation has now changed. I
am unsure why. Perhaps it is a combination of increased security
awareness (I am going too far. lets redefine; an increased
awareness of the need for an increased awareness) and an overall
decrease in the maturity of people with network access. Whatever the
cause, b-o-s has become less useful as an information asset. As
maintainer, what I was striving for was the quality of a journal with
the currency of a mailing list. Those are two quite difficult forces to
hold together in the same bottle. Until recently I believe we were
keeping the lid on 95% of the time.

Given type of information dealt with on b-o-s, where a single line of
text can be the defence or the key to the secrets of the powerful,
currency is a must. An absolute.

However, important information is unless you can vet it out from amoung
the sea of noise, and the b-o-s noise tide has definately risen to
unaccptable levels. This despite the b-o-s signal to noise ration being
several orders of magnitude greater than any other mailing lists dealing
with security issues.

There is an other reason, for why b-o-s hasn't been moderated to date.
As was seen in the Prodigy case, moderation poses a legal burden
on the moderator that automatic distribution does not place on the
distributor. Given the information commonly seen on b-o-s it is not a
burden to take on without pausing for thought. 

Thought I have. Best-of-security will be moderated. However I've taken
some rather underhanded, and possibly dubious technical steps to limit
my liability. 1/5th of messages will randomly, automatically and
undetectably be passed on without my approval.  You have heard of
anonymous remailers. Welcome to anonymous moderation.

As for the currency issue I wont be hitting the road again for the next
few months at least, and when I'm away there are people who can
(anonymously) fill in.

So if you want to send something to the unmoderated b-o-s you have about
48 hours before the bambo curtain comes down.

-- 
"I mean, after all;  you have to consider we're only made out of dust.  That's
 admittedly not  much  to  go  on  and  we  shouldn't  forget  that.  But even
 considering, I mean it's sort of a bad beginning, we're not doing too bad. So
 I personally have faith that even in this lousy situation we're faced with we
 can make it. You get me?" - Leo Bulero/PKD
+---------------------+--------------------+----------------------------------+
|Julian Assange RSO   | PO Box 2031 BARKER | Secret Analytic Guy Union        |
|proff@suburbia.net   | VIC 3122 AUSTRALIA | finger for PGP key hash ID =     |
|proff@gnu.ai.mit.edu | FAX +61-3-98199066 | 0619737CCC143F6DEA73E27378933690 |
+---------------------+--------------------+----------------------------------+

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