Moral dilemma.

This is a typical example of the dilemmas faced by an anon posting
operator. Here is my reply to the complaint from an user in
rec.music.gdead. Don't feel good about it, but...

------- Forwarded Message

To:      <DELETED>
Subject: Re: abuse of internet access

> To whom it may concern:
> 
> I direct your attention to the following post made on the rec.music.gdead 
> newsgroup:
> 
> Article 30001 (26 more) in rec.music.gdead:
> From: an13488@anon.penet.fi
> Subject: Tickets available
> Organization: Anonymous contact service
> X-Anonymously-To: rec.music.gdead
> Date: Thu, 25 Feb 1993 20:48:01 GMT
> Lines: 28
>  
>  
> We have the following tickets available:
>  
> Rosemont:
> 3/9  12 tickets
> 3/10 6 tickets, 4 taper tickets
> 3/11 10 tickets, 8 taper tickets
>  
> Richfield:
> 3/14 12 tickets
>  
> Landover:
> 3/16 12 tickets
> 3/17 12 tickets, 6 taper tickets
>  
>  
> 3/17 12 tickets, 6 taper tickets
> 3/18 6 tickets, 2 taper tickets
>  
> Tickets will be sold for best offer.  Include your phone number with your
> bid.  Winning bidders will be contacted by phone to arrange payment
> and delivery of tickets.  We accept Visa and  Mastercard.  Bids are
> taken up to 5 days before the show, although we may contact you earlier
> if we feel your bid is suficient to warrant immediate sale.
> - -------------------------------------------------------------------------
> To find out more about the anon service, send mail to help@anon.penet.fi.
> Due to the double-blind system, any replies to this message will be anonymized,
> and an anonymous id will be allocated automatically. You have been warned.
> Please report any problems, inappropriate use etc. to admin@anon.penet.fi.
> *IMPORTANT server security update*, mail to update@anon.penet.fi for details.
> 
> 
> This is ticket scalping, pure and simple (selling a ticket for higher than its 
> value.  This is extremely illegal in the United States.  This is also a posting
> promoting a private enterprise for profit on the internet, extremely unethical.
>   
> 	Furthermore, the people who are doing this are selling what are known a
> s
> "taper tickets".  These tickets are only available through the Grateful Dead Ti
> cket Service via mail order.  The reason GDTS does this is to help deter scalpe
> rs.  I hereby request 2 courses of action from you:
> 
> 1)You immediately suspend Internet access priveleges of the individual(s)
> responsible for this posting.
> 
> 2)You provide the individual's (or individuals') name(s) to the Grateful
> Dead Ticket Service so they may take legal action against these criminals.
> 
> I hope my letter is merely one of many that have reached you concerning this su
> bject.  I assure you, there are many people who will not tolerate this and
> will do everything in their power to see that these people are caught and stopp
> ed.  Furthermore, if you are going to offer people anonymous Internet access, 
> be prepared to face the consequences when your clients break U.S. law.  As far
> as I am concerned, you are an accessory and should do everything in your power
> to rectify this situation.
> 
> I hope you take the time to respond and tell me what measures you have taken.


I have sent the person a message informing him/her that the account will
be blocked if the inappropriate postings continue. In an international
world, where laws, customs and morals vary from one place and culture to
another, and where a lot of people are trying to force their views onto
others, the only way a service like anon.penet.fi can operate is by very
simple and firm rules that are followed without exception. One rule is
that I *never* reveal the true identity of an anon user, and another is
that I *never* block access to the server without warning and without
giving the person a chance to defend him/herself.

I do understand your views, and I am very sympatetic to them, but I hope
you also realize that inpartial service requires "blind" abiding to
these rules.

	Julf



------- End of Forwarded Message

> This is ticket scalping, pure and simple (selling a ticket for higher
> than its value.  This is extremely illegal in the United States.  This
> is also a posting promoting a private enterprise for profit on the
> internet, extremely unethical.

This person, like most such complainers, is uninformed.  They are
taking advantage of your physical and informational distance from the
actual situation:

(1)  It's completely a matter of local law whether "ticket scalping"
is legal or not.  Many jurisdictions have no problem with businesses
investing in "ticket futures" in the hope that the price will rise.
In any case, it is not "extremely illegal".  Murder is "extremely illegal",
except when done on behalf of a government.  Scalping is a minor crime
when it's a crime at all -- like jaywalking.

(2) Promoting a private enterprise for profit on the Internet is
completely legal and ethical.  The Transatlantic link is certainly
open to commercial business.  Now, if they'd said "...on the Usenet"
then there would be guidelines to follow, which mostly include
sticking to the topic and not posting repetitive ads.  I think that a
single ticket ad in the Grateful Dead newsgroup is not out of line on
either count.  Especially given the number of people who end up looking
for tickets because of bogus Grateful Dead Ticket Service policies.

(3)  Individuals selling things in "garage sale" mode are exempt from any
ethical or moral Usenet/Internet restrictions on "commercial use" anyway.

> Furthermore, the people who are doing this are selling what are known
> as "taper tickets".  These tickets are only available through the
> Grateful Dead Ticket Service via mail order.  The reason GDTS does
> this is to help deter scalpers.

Scalping tickets is a perfectly legitimate business enterprise.
Scalping Grateful Dead tickets is even a commendable activity,
considering the hassles that the Dead scene puts you through to get
tickets.  Personally, I only go when some friend offers me tickets,
since it ain't worth the bullshit of tracking when to order (via
email list or polling their phone service), sending in money orders
within half a day of then, and following all the little regulations
about the size and shape of the envelope, etc.

A lot of places that have little `protected' markets like this, are going
to find out what a free market is like.  Good.

	John