From news.interserv.net!news.sprintlink.net!howland.reston.ans.net!news.nic.surfnet.nl!sun4nl!xs4all!cipher!mwharing Thu Sep 7 09:28:21 1995
Newsgroups: eunet.cyberrights,alt.religion.scientology
Path: news.interserv.net!news.sprintlink.net!howland.reston.ans.net!news.nic.surfnet.nl!sun4nl!xs4all!cipher!mwharing
From: mwharing@cipher.xs4all.nl (Martin Haring)
Subject: Re: Scientology against XS4ALL
Followup-To: eunet.cyberrights,alt.religion.scientology
X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.2 PL2]
Organization: hIddEn mesSAgE inC.
Message-ID: <DEGH0I.16M@cipher.xs4all.nl>
References: <DEGA0G.yy@cipher.xs4all.nl>
Date: Tue, 5 Sep 1995 23:24:16 GMT
Lines: 121
Here's the official press-release of XS4ALL concerning the legal action
against them. It was posted by Felipe Rodriquez <felipe@xs4all.nl>
on Tue 5 Sep, 21:30 local time. The translation into english was done
by me <mwharing@cipher.xs4all.nl>. I did this quite late in the eavening,
using some some old english dictionaries, and my spelling checker ain't
working, so please beware of some serious spelling and grammar errors...
NOTE: Apart from xs4all being my uucp provider, I have no
connections with xs4all.
Seizure at XS4ALL-internet on demand of Scientology
===================================================
Amsterdam - Tuesday 5 September
This afternoon at approximately 14:00 XS4ALL was visited by mr S. Braan,
sheriff's officer in Amsterdam. This sheriff's officer took action
on demand of the Religious Technology Centre, better known as the
Church of Scientology, and was assisted by an inspector of the `IJtunnel'
local police station (police region `Amsterdam/Amstelland') and mr
Hermans of the lawyers office Nauta Dutilh (the Dutch lawyers of Scientology).
Furthermore, two computer experts were present (mr Ootjes and Van Suchtelen),
a keymaker (to open our door, in case nobody was present) and two American
employees of scientology, mr Weightman and ms Jenssen.
Scientology has seized the computer equipment of XS4ALL. Herefor the
computer experts have noted all serialnumbers and typenumbers of our
computers. The aim of this procedure is to make sure we cannot hide
any equipment for an eventual civil lawsuit.
Because all equipment is still present, the continuity of the services
of XS4ALL is not in danger.
What's it all about?
--------------------
The Church of Scientology claims that by means of an anonymous remailer
of XS4ALL one or more Scientology copyrighted texts were spread across
the Internet. Because of this, Scientology has been given permission
by the court of justice of Amsterdam to seize the equipment of XS4ALL.
This remailer however, has not been running of XS4ALL for two months now.
During the visit of Scientology to XS4ALL this afternoon, the remailer
wasn't discussed for a single moment. The organisation seemed exclusively
to take offence against information about Scientology that one of our
users has put in his homepage. Among this information, there would be a
file that is copyrighted by Scientology. If we would delete the file
in question on the spot, Scientology would be prepared to drop the seize.
Responsibility of Internet Providers
------------------------------------
XS4ALL denies all responisibility for the content of the homepages
of its users. Users themself control what's in their homepages, and
because we do not control or edit anything, in our opinion the users
themself are legally responsible for the content of their homepages.
This affair shows it is needed to get clearness of the legal
position of Internet Providers soon. We are shocked by the fact
that our offices can be intruded by employees of an organisation
like Scientology. If we, as Internet Providers are being held responsible
for the content of all homepages and Usenet messages, this will have
an irrevocably negative effect on the freedom of speech on the Net.
Policy of intimidation
----------------------
XS4ALL is not the only one that is confronted in this way by
the Church of Scientology. Scientology, a worldwide onganisation,
is fighting a couple of people on the Internet.
A not organised group of people has begun to criticize the activities
of Scientology on a world-wide scale. Until now, Scientology has
been able to succesfully silence press and criticizers by means of
intimidation and by initiating endless legal procedures.
One of the people Scientology is having trouble with, is the XS4ALL
user `fonss'. This user makes availible on his homepage
(http://www.xs4all.nl/~fonss) a so called `F.A.C.T.-net Kit'
This extensive collection of documents gives a shocking view
of the intimidation policy of the Church of Scientology.
One of these documents would be a file that is copyrighted by
Scientology, and that has been inserted into the F.A.C.T.-net
Kit (which can be found in the directory of `fonss', and at many
other places on the Internet) without its permission.
Scientology in the Netherlands
------------------------------
The businesses of Scientology are also in the Netherlands disputed.
Some quotes of the report of the Dutch parliament:
`An eight men strong workgroup was put together, consisting
of public servants of the health and justice department, supplemented
with some experts of mental healthcare.
The notes of their meetings show that this workgroup especially tried
by investigating to draw a true picture of Scientology.
By signalling all the dangers of the organisation, and by recommanding
measures that would prevent the development of Scientology, they
hoped to offer the public some protection. The workgroup was brought
into trouble, when after some time one of the experts turned out to
be a scientologist'
`The Church of Svientology had infiltrated the workgroup, and used the
gatherd information at the end of 1974 to create a lawsuit against
the members of the workgroup, aiming to forbid any publications by
the workgroup. Although Scientology didn't succeed, the activities
of the workgroup were disrupted is such a way that since then the
meetings stoped and the group fell apart'
`Scientologists were caught because of theft of documents about
Scientology from the national center of public health in Utrecht'
Additional information can be found on the Internet:
http://www.cybercom.net/~rnewman/scientology/home.html
http://www.xs4all.nl/~fonss
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ÿ