Content deleted Content added
m alt.config links to this page |
copyedit |
||
Line 1:
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2014}}
{{
The '''''alt.*'' hierarchy''' is a major class of [[newsgroup]]s in [[Usenet]], containing all newsgroups whose name begins with "''alt.''", organized hierarchically. The ''alt.*'' hierarchy is not confined to newsgroups of any specific subject or type, although in practice more formally organized groups tend not to occur in ''alt.*''. The ''alt.*'' hierarchy was created by [[John Gilmore (activist)|John Gilmore]] and [[Brian Reid (computer scientist)|Brian Reid]].
Unlike most of the other hierarchies, there is no centralized control of the hierarchy and anyone who is technically capable of creating a newsgroup can do so. In practice, however, most newsgroups follow an informal procedure involving a public discussion in ''alt.config'' before being created. This procedure is designed to help the potential creator better understand what factors contribute to a newsgroup's success.
Line 23:
==Censorship==
In June 2008, it was announced that [[Sprint Nextel|Sprint]] and [[Verizon]] would be cutting off access to the ''alt.*'' hierarchy to their subscribers, citing [[child pornography]] as the number one reason. New York State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo claimed his office found child porn in 88 of the 100,000 groups that exist on ''alt.*''.<ref>[http://news.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-9964895-38.html N.Y. attorney general forces ISPs to curb Usenet access] – Politics and Law – CNET News (June 10, 2008 12:09 PM PDT)Posted by Declan McCullagh</ref><ref>[http://uk.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUKN0930574820080611 Internet companies to block child porn sites] – (Technology) Reuters – Tue June 10, 2008 8:04pm BST (Reporting by Christopher Kaufman and Yinka Adegoke; Editing by Louise Heavens and Braden Reddall)</ref><ref>[http://news.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-9967119-38.html Verizon offers details of Usenet deletion: alt.* groups, others gone] – June 12, 2008 11:37 AM PDT Posted by Declan McCullagh (The Iconoclast – politics, law, and technology) – CNET News.com</ref>
Verizon has not blocked ''alt.*'' from users, they have simply stopped maintaining the ''alt.*'' hierarchy on their own servers.
In the same time frame, AT&T's United States-based consumer dial internet service provider decommissioned their NNTP servers entirely, citing a combination of the above concerns and a putative decline in traffic volume which had accelerated beyond a statistical point of no return.
| |||