Richard S Rosenberg
Linking most universities and many companies around the world is a vast computer network called Internet. More than 7 million people, at 1.2 million attached hosts, in 117 countries are able to receive and send messages to about 4,000 newsgroups, representing the diverse interests of its users, as they are usually called. Some of these newsgroups deal with technical computer issues, some are frivolous, and some carry obscene or pornographic material. Issues of free speech, censorship, and sexual harassment arise. Many defenders of the network culture are vociferous in their defense of unrestricted free speech. Outrageous behavior will always be part of life on the Internet but the vast majority of users should not be penalized for occasional abhorrent episodes. Electronic mail is not withdrawn because it can be used to harass. Instead, the community is educated with respect to appropriate uses and penalties are established for violations of the rules. Harassment over the network whether racial, sexual, political, or religious can be combatted in a similar manner.