ARLINGTON, VA — Verizon Communications has bailed from offering its customers access to Usenet newsgroups in the alt.* hierarchy and most others. The move is pursuant to an agreement the internet service provider signed with the New York Attorney General last week.The removal of Verizon’s servers from the group of ISPs that host Usenet discussions will affect tens of thousands of newsgroups, including some that have been in operation for more than two decades. According to Verizon, the step is necessary to curtail the spread of child pornography online.
A Verizon spokesman said only the “big 8” newsgroup hierarchies — out of more than 1,000 — would remain on its servers. The “big 8” comprises a collection of discussion groups dedicated to creating and managing other newsgroups.
Usenet users are perplexed about the announcement. Not only does it make scant sense to remove general newsgroups while allowing access to the discussion forums about creating the now-jettisoned content, but Verizon’s move also seems like a heavy handed approach to satisfying the requirements of its agreement with New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat known for crusading against child porn. According to published reports, Cuomo’s investigation into child-porn-prevention and -reporting policies at Verizon, Time Warner Cable and Sprint found child-abuse content on only 88 of the approximately 100,000 newsgroups that exist within Usenet.
The alt.* hierarchy includes many adult-entertainment and alternative-lifestyles forums as well as dating discussions and groups for recovering addicts.
Verizon customers will continue to be able to connect to all newsgroups through alternative means. No actual blocking of the groups will take place, the Verizon spokesperson said.
