IRC and Security

[Dan Bernstein]

In article <507 at sol.north.de> terra at sol.north.de (Frank Simon) writes:
> In article <17186:Mar2121:29:2691 at kramden.acf.nyu.edu> brnstnd at kramden.acf.nyu.edu (Dan Bernstein) writes:
> >I didn't say that IRC was illegal, only that many of its users appear to
> >(illegally!) send large amounts of data across it that does *not*
> >contribute to instruction or research.
> Do U really think, that all sites in the world wide Internet community R 
> only Research Institutes or Universities ?  

No. Only a large number of them, and apparently the greatest part of
IRC. I do not know of any legal problem with, e.g., IRC use over
NYSERNet, or by corporations within their own nets. In those cases there
are only a few guidelines which nobody pays much attention to.

However, universities receive huge amounts of money from the Department
of Education. The money must, in general, contribute to instruction or
research. It's the law. If any of that money helps pay for (e.g.)
NYU-NET then NYU-NET cannot legally carry other kinds of traffic.
Period.

---Dan