these are links I collected from 1994 to about 1995 or 1996. So if they actually work, well, woah!
Response to Internet Kiddnapping
An alumn, Brian Slesinsky, wrote someone at Cornell about A Firsthand Account of an Internet User's Kidnapping and Being Held Against His Will.
They gave him an interesting response, which he forwarded to me.
Date: Tue, 15 Nov 1994 22:21:35 -0800From: bslesins@netcom.com (Brian Slesinsky)
Subject: Re: A Firsthand Account of an Internet User's Kidnapping, etc.
Justin -
I wrote "Uncle Ezra" about that message. The response isn't what I'd hoped for, but I thought you might be interested anyway.
(Uncle Ezra is an online column, something like Dear Abby, run for Cornell students: http://cuinfo2.cit.cornell.edu/Dialogs.html)
Date: Mon, 07 Nov 94 12:56:05 EST
<From: Uncle Ezra >UNC@CORNELLC.cit.cornell.edu<
<Subject: Answer from Uncle Ezra
<To: bslesins@netcom.com
<
<Subject: Q13543 A Firsthand Account of an Internet User's Kidnapping...
<
<I saw an article on the Internet that appears to be about a Cornell student:
<
<A Firsthand Account of an Internet User's Kidnapping and Being Held Against His Will
<
<
<Assuming it is not a hoax, I would *really* like to hear from someone at
<Gannett about this one. Was it in the papers in Ithaca?
<
<- An Alum
<
<Dear Brian,
< Thanks for writing to ask. I haven't seen anything on this topic in
<the Ithaca papers, but the New York Times Magazine ran an article about
<it on Sunday, October 9, 1994. According to Assistant Vice President
<David Yeh (dsy1@Cornell.edu; 255-8782), the internet user wrote -- on a
<publicly accessible and readable internet mail service -- that he wanted
<explicit instructions for committing suicide. A reader of the mail
<service contacted the Cornell Crisis Team (which includes professional
<psychologists and physicians) to report the message and ask for an
<assessment. Team members determined that the note was serious, sought
<identification of the writer (whose name happened to be noted in the
<original message... again, in full public view), and it turned out he
<was a Cornell student. The normal procedure (in cases where someone's
<life is in danger) of having the student spend the night under
<observation at Tompkins Community Hospital was initiated.
< David adds that the student was seeking help and Cornell staff
<responded...appropriately, according to many people with whom he's
<spoken. He comments, "This is not a case of violation of privacy;
<rather, of someone yelling 'fire' in a theater."
< If you have further questions or concerns, please feel free to
<contact David directly or to write to me again.
< Best wishes,
< Uncle Ezra
<
<
\============ Brian Slesinsky bslesins@netcom.com ============/