Censorship and Computers

Alan Dershowitz’s column (“The Old Itch to Censor Finds a New Medium,” Column Left, Nov. 11) incorrectly blurs a fundamental distinction between two entirely different features of the Prodigy service. This is no subtle error, for it creates the false impression that Prodigy has violated federal law. It hasn’t.

In commenting on how Prodigy manages its public bulletin boards--an information source available to more than 1.1 million computer users--Dershowitz confuses these public forums with private one-to-one messages, which, under the law, no one but the sender and receiver may see. The irony is that Prodigy helped to draft that law and obeys it to the letter. Prodigy does not read electronic mail. Never has. Never will.

BRIAN R. EK

Manager of Communications

Prodigy Service, White Plains, N.Y.