The Cutting Edge: Computing / Technology / Innovation : FORUM : What Internet Users Think of Porn Incident, Media Coverage

Last week, The Cutting Edge invited comment on the issues raised by a July 12 Times story about the discovery of a large cache of pornography on an Internet-linked computer at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. The original story also discussed how the Internet was being used to distribute stolen software.

The article drew angry responses from many Internet users; we printed some of those responses last week, along with a brief commentary. We also asked readers for their thoughts on the issues of security on the Internet and on the news media’s coverage of the Internet.

The initial reaction on the Net to the story was heavy with personal attacks on the reporter, but nearly all of the more than 40 people who responded to our solicitation addressed the serious issues.

Below are excerpts from some of the messages we received, followed by our comments:

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Unfortunately for those of us who love it dearly, you made (the Internet) out to be a big, bad thing. Very little was said about its positive applications. . . . I got no sense of what an incredible resource it is.

DAVID AUGSBURGER

Sherman Oaks

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I found the July 12 story on the illegal use of LLNL computers to be highly interesting. . . . I think the L.A. Times received so much flap over the story from Internet users because no one is ever delighted with investigative journalists poking their noses into his/her affairs. The Internet is a public place, and journalists have the right to poke around if they choose. That does not mean that the people whose affairs are being investigated have to like it. . . . I did take issue with the focus on pornographic images in the article. This seemed to be a clear shot at sensationalizing the findings.

ANN TERESE HEIL

Arcadia

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Essentially, the persons who put those images on the computers were merely stealing--stealing storage space from Lawrence Livermore. Would it have been a newsworthy story if someone had found that an MTA (Metropolitan Transportation Authority) employee had used MTA filing cabinets to store a few hundred copies of Penthouse magazine or adult videotapes? Of course not.

ROBIN D. ROBERTS

Thousand Oaks

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The real story, which you are missing, is how this free flow of information is revolutionizing the way people work and interact. The Internet is the ultimate productivity tool, and the print media are failing to get that issue across to their readers. That, not the aberrations on which the media have focused, is the reason why traffic on the Net increases by 10% a month.

A.T. YOUNG

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With rising concerns about stolen software, pornography, etc., I am worried that institutions (usually colleges) will remove or severely restrict the ability of users to contribute to their creative works. I wish to urge institutions too concerned about undesirable contributions to make their incoming directories write-only (chmod 333) rather than removing them altogether. This will give the site administrators a chance to review files before putting them in a public area.

JOHN KALSTROM

Goleta

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We must find a balance between total freedom on the ‘Net, which may have been possible when there were only a few hundred thousand connected but certainly is not now, and the kind of watchdog police state that many foresee as the future. . . . Oddly, to me it seems like those most aggressive in defending the anarchic nature of the ‘Net are the same ones who are quickest to step on the toes of anyone who doesn’t toe THEIR line.

MARGARET E. HOLDAM

Westwood

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Many respondents made comments similar to Robin Roberts’, asserting that storing private files on a government or company computer was not a major issue. But the computer was accessible via the Internet--and almost certainly would not have been used to store 2 gigabytes of pornography had it not been. To use Roberts’ analogy, it is as if the MTA employee had turned his office into a library and invited the public to use the high-speed elevator in the back to gain access.

Several people said that security is strictly the responsibility of the individual computer sites and not of the network itself. Clearly, though, the growing speed and reach of the Internet makes site security on Net-linked systems much more problematic. In future stories, The Cutting Edge will explore the practical, day-to-day problems of managing Net-linked computers.

We are always interested in suggestions--from both the Internet-literate and those who aren’t yet on-line--on how to improve our coverage of the Internet and other complex technology issues. Send your comments to Cutting Edge@news.latimes.com, or fax them to (213) 237-7838, or mail them to The Cutting Edge, Business Section, Los Angeles Times, Times Mirror Square, Los Angeles CA 90053.