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From: kadie@cs.uiuc.edu (Carl M. Kadie)
Newsgroups: alt.comp.acad-freedom.talk,comp.org.eff.talk
Subject: Re: Legal Tangles During FTP at SRI
Message-ID: <C26yos.A9K@cs.uiuc.edu>
Date: 9 Feb 93 17:17:16 GMT
References: <1993Feb8.004251.12739@netcom.com> <C25083.76s@ms.uky.edu> <1993Feb8.104224.5497@memstvx1.memst.edu> <1l67eh$j31@nic.near.net> <1993Feb8.185549.16144@eff.org> <1993Feb8.133018.5503@memstvx1.memst.edu>
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Organization: University of Illinois, Dept. of Comp. Sci., Urbana, IL
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This discussion seems to be mostly about differing expectations.  I
wonder if there are somethings we can agree on.

[I've put stars by items I think might be enforced with rules.
 I see the other items as unenforced guidelines, not rules.]

Anonymous ftp users:
* 1) obey any restrictions of which you receive notice --
     you are a guest. If you believe the restrictions to be
     unreasonable criticize them if you wish, but not violate them.
  2) do not go out of your way to avoid receiving notice of restrictions
  3) The file etc/passwd is almost certainly contains no passwords. It
     is just a file listing the usernames that go along with the user
     numbers of the ftp files. It allows "ls -l" and "dir" to list
     names instead of numbers. Don't download it or look at it --
     some admins get nervous when they notice files named "passwd"
     in the ftp log.
  4) On most system, public files are in the "pub" directory.
     Avoid the other directories.

Anonymous ftp administrators:
* 1) Put any restrictions in the sign in and in a README file
     at the top level.
* 2) Don't put passwords in ~ftp/etc/passwd.
  3) If you can, avoid having a ~ftp/etc/passwd file.
  4) Put only public files in "pub"
  5) If a user seems to be violating your restrictions, send them the
     restrictions via email thus insuring that he or she knows your
     restrictions.
  6) If a user violates your restrictions even after receiving notice,
     contact the user's sys admin and say: "Please ask your user to
     observe the restrictions we place on our anonymous ftp site."
  7) When contacting the user's site, avoid mentioning the
     ~ftp/etc/passwd file; any such references are likely to be
     misunderstood.

- Carl
-- 
Carl Kadie -- I do not represent any organization; this is just me.
 = kadie@cs.uiuc.edu =