Hacker Chronicles 1/HACKER1.ISO/cud2/cud214f.txt

Text File | 1992-09-26 | 12KB | 211 lines

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From:  Alex Gross and Steven W. Grabhorn
Subject: Two Comments on Prodigy
Date:   November 29, 1990

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***  CuD #2.14: File 6 of 8: More on Prodigy                     ***
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{Prodigy has been receiving considerable criticism in the past few weeks
because of its policies on e-mail, alleged censorship, and other problems
that some users identify. There has been a lively discussion in Pat
Townson's TELECOM DIGEST (available from the internet or by dropping a note
to:  [e-mail]). The following typify the kinds of issues
underlying Prodigy's policies -- moderators}

From: Alex Gross <[e-mail]>
Subject: more on prodigy and censorship
Date: 27 Nov 90 01:05:43 EST

Tales of censorship on Prodigy have been ringing a great big bell with
me, and I think you'll see why from the following message which I wrote as
an answer to a query about the French Minitele service two years ago.  It
was first posted on CompuServe's FLEFO (Foreign Language Education Forum)
and then got its life prolonged by being included in a Minitele info file
that is still posted there.  I guess the point is that a lot of people
everywhere are still quite frightened by the idea of free speech.  Also, what
about the free flow of information across boundaries (or even inside
boundaries telecom was supposed to bring--how free is it really going to
turn out to be, and for whom?  It's really sounding like Prodigy is Minitele
revisited.  I've added translations of some of the French words into English,
but otherwise it's as I wrote it then.


"My own experiences with Minitele are limited to the CTL branch between
Feb & June of 1988, & I don't know how applicable my observations will be
to Minitele as a whole or to what may have happened since.  But I fear the
worst.  First of all, it is expensive, $25 per hour from what I hear.  This
wasn't true with CTL at the beginning.  For close to a year, it was absolutely
free to North Americans--this was because they were trying to drum up sub-
scribers over here.  Another version went that they were running big ads
in France to get people to sign up for the CTL branch there (they have
competitive companies over there running pieces of it) on the premise that
they would be able to "talk directly with America."  I came in on the end
of this & had about 6 weeks of free service which then went to $4 per hour
to $10 & presumably to $25.  I quit at the $4 level.

"There really wasn't an awful lot to do on this branch.  You could go into
"Le Bar" & bavarder/taper (talk/type) 1 on 1 in real-time with the French.  You
cd engage in something very remotely resembling free public discussion on some-
thing called Le Forum.  Or you cd try some of the other "entertainments,"
mostly limited or dumb in one way or another.  I'll take each of the three
in order.

"Conversations in "Le Bar" were I think on the whole worse than those you
might have on a BBS here using the CHAT option.  Let's compare it to going
to a party where you really had no idea who the guests might be, and they all
turned out to have little in common.  I had one or two pleasant chats, but most
of them were of the "Et quelle heure est-il a New York?" variety ("What time is
it in NYC?").   Many of the US-niks spoke only English, & a lot of the French
seemed happy to reply this way.  I found at least 2 bilingual Parisian
secretaries there.  Some of the talk was sex-oriented.  Many had "PSEUDOs"
(handles) like Cuddles or Fondles or BIG-T*TS.  Oh yes, we all had
PSEUDO's--mine was FRANGLAIS, which was generally appreciated.  (Franglais is
the kind of French no one is supposed to speak, but almost everyone does--it
is a combo of French with lots of English words, FRANcais & anGLAIS.)  Some
will no doubt call me a snob, but not too much really got said.

"Oh yes, some of the French affect an abbreviated slang, a la Metal
Hurlant, (Heavy Metal, originally a French mag) something like "k'veute
feravekma, magoss?" which wd not be too helpful for language-learning.
("Whatchawanna doowidmebabee?")  Also, some of them don't even like computers
& seemed surprised when I told them Minitele counted as one--so user-friendly
is the interface that they really think they're on a typewriter or a tele-
phone.  All conversations in Le Bar, by the way, are private between
those in them.

"So much for Le Bar.  As for "Le Forum," that was simply terrible.  They
practised rigorous censorship, & msgs cd take as long as 10 days to appear
on the Bd while someone performed "Validation des Textes" ("text accredita-
tion," I guess, but it sounds worse in French).   At that time many
of the msgs posted in this "public" part were in English, but about a third
were in French.  There were repeated anti-american msgs such as "All Americans
are stupid cowboys" or "Les americains sont tous des barbares" ("americains are
all barbarians") & such ilk.  I have French cousins & have been hearing this
for 35 years, but I was sad to see it still going on.  Also, some of them
have convinced themselves that France now leads the world technologically, &
I saw one msg claiming that the computer was invented by those two great
Frenchmen Pascal & Babbage (!) (to many French, any name ending in "-age" can
sound French.)

The best thing we had from it all was a party of 30 NYC area minitelistes,
& afterwards I posted a msg stating in French that our group had awarded
the PRIX DERRIDA for total stupidity to the Babbagehead and the PRIX
ETIEMBLE for some other sottise (stupidity).  (Explanation: the French go
for literary prizes with names like PRIX THIS & PRIX THAT--Derrida is the
name of a virtually unreadable literary critic, Etiemble wrote the book first
condemning the use of "Franglais."  The message finally got posted.  Where
criticism is concerned, the French can dish it out, but they really can't
take it.  I also (FINALLY) provoked them into posting a msg complaining about
the censorship, but even this was censored.  Le Forum was the only part of
of Minitele I saw remotely comparable to CIS forums like FLEFO.

"As for the other services, how often do you need to know Air France times
or read Agence France Presse bulletins or consult a French astrologer?  And
even if the real Minitele is more complete, do you really need to know the
names & addresses of all the dry cleaners in Marseilles?   Hope this helps.
Salut!   Alex"

And like it said then, Greetings!   Alex

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

From: "Steven W. Grabhorn" <[e-mail]>
Subject: Prodigy "Protesters" Respond
Date: 27 Nov 90 05:33:19 GMT

I know we've seen quite a bit of discussion about Prodigy in the last
several weeks, however, I'd like to pass along an article I received from
some of the Prodigy members involved in the "protest."  Prodigy certainly
does own its own service and it seems like they can do what they see fit
with it.  However, I thought it might be a good idea to forward some
thoughts from the other side of the fence. Although I use Prodigy
occasionally, the thoughts below may or may not reflect my own feelings,
and the usual disclaimers about myself and my employer apply.

               ----------Begin Article------------

NEW PRODIGY GUIDELINES RESTRICT USE OF PRIVATE E-MAIL

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, NOVEMBER 24, 1990:

Prodigy Service, the IBM/Sears owned home computer service, has taken
another unprecedented step in its clampdown on private electronic
communication.

In what appears to be a direct response to the growing strength and
visibility of Prodigy members who are protesting Prodigy's abandonment of
its much publicized "flat fee" billing structure and proposed e-mail
charges, the service has very quietly issued a new set of "messaging
guidelines" (see attached) [not included ?? -sg].] Imposition of these
guidelines will restrict the private exchange of information on Prodigy in
ways never before attempted on a commercial online service.

Russ Singer, a protest coordinator remarks, "Obviously Prodigy feels an
informed membership is not in their best interest."

Six days after being issued, existence of the new regulations is unknown to
most Prodigy users.  The guidelines have not been announced on the
"Highlights" screen members encounter when logging on to the service.

Among the guidelines, which take effect immediately, are prohibitions on:
Contacting Prodigy's online merchants and advertisers for any reason other
than to "purchase goods and services" and to "communicate about specific
orders placed online"; "A mailing with a request to recipients to continue
distribution to others," which Prodigy describes as "chain letters". Use of
"automated message distribution programs (other than those provided by
Prodigy); and the threat of termination of users who fail to provide a
credit card number but who continue to send a large number of messages .

The guidelines are vague and raise disturbing questions about free speech
and the sanctity of private communication. These issues have aroused the
concern of the ACLU and other legislative and consumer groups.  Although
issued universally, the intent of the guidelines seems aimed at stemming
the protest.

Says Henry Niman, another protest coordinator, "These guidelines don't make
sense from a monetary standpoint. If Prodigy goes ahead with e-mail
charges, in only five weeks these rules will be unnecessary." Although $.25
per message would afford Prodigy a bloated profit margin, most users on the
service would find the cost prohibitive.

Adds Niman, "These regulations do nothing more than create confusion and
intimidation. What purpose is served by requiring, under threat of termina-
tion, a credit card number from members who have already established a
billing arrangement with the service?"

Should e-mail charges be imposed, Prodigy, which is believed to be 80%
advertiser supported, will have created an electronic marketplace in which
merchants cannot benefit from customer to customer referrals.  With the
addition of Prodigy's latest guidelines, merchants will be denied customer
feedback on the condition of that marketplace.  Many protesters are asking,
"Don't advertisers have an interest in knowing what management is doing?"

Singer adds, "If what Prodigy wants to be is a shopping mall then it should
advertise itself that way, not as a flat rate interactive service.
Restricting users to submitting posts to Prodigy's public bulletin boards
makes Prodigy no more 'interactive' than a letter to the editor in a
newspaper."

Prodigy's campaign to silence dissent on the service began on October 30th
when Prodigy expelled ten of the most visible members of the protest group
(The Cooperative Defense Committee). An hour later discussion of e-mail
charges was prohibited on the only PUBLIC forum provided for member
feedback .  Fifteen days later, Prodigy targeted four more protesters by
sending them newly devised "warning" notices informing them that private
"mass mailings" might be used as grounds for termination.

If Prodigy's new "guidelines" applied universally, you would not be getting
this FAX.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, CONTACT:  PENELOPE HAY [phone]

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