[brlug-general] Microsoft Admits to and Defends Political Censorship of Email.

[willhill]

According to TruthOut, a MSN Hotmail spokesman said the block of TruthOut's 
News letters was due to "reputation" and that the block would not be undone, 
regardless of their customers wishes.  This applies to all Microsoft owned 
mail services.  

http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/091307Z.shtml
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/383247/aol_msn_hotmail_wont_deliver_truthoutorg.html

Yesterday, I predicted they might spin this as a technical glitch.  Shame on 
those of you who jumped on me with bogus technical excuses and smeared the 
irrelevant political content of the victim.  Your belief in M$ ethics was  
misguided.

Microsoft may yet turn around this decision.  When caught doing something 
illegal or unpopular, they usually blame a junior employee and repudiate 
everything they have said before.  In this case, they can further slander 
TruthOut for technical ignorance and all of the nasty things I was called 
yesterday for simply pointing out the censorship.  

Even if they do turn around, they have made their intentions and internal 
ethics clear.  If this had been a mistake they would have worked with 
representatives who called to find out what was wrong.  When people sign up 
for a mail list, they should receive it.  Microsoft email services should be 
avoided.

Once again, the only real solution to problems like this is to allow people 
the freedom to run their own mail servers.  Blocks should only be put in 
place for violating published bandwith or message limits.  It goes without 
saying that network neutrality must remain the law of the land and there 
should be competition for internet service.

Blocks would put an end to the spam problem, because people who run insecure 
operating systems would have to pay for it directly.  We already bear that 
cost as a society, but it's passed on in ways that people don't notice.