Yahoo! GeoCities -- OK to harass and target Jews?

Yahoo GeoCities Website ^ | July 23, 2002 | JohnathanRGalt

[JohnathanRGalt]

Over the past 4 days, Yahoo GeoCities has been contacted by many Jewish groups and individuals concerned by the explicit targeting of "jewish people living inside israel" by this pro-palistinian website. He provided a link to a page of Jewish emails collected from the web which he intends to launch cyber attacks. Apparently, Yahoo does not enforce it's own Terms of Service ("TOS") . When this guy signed up, he agreed to not use the Service to:

... upload, post or otherwise transmit any Content that is unlawful, harmful, threatening, abusive, harassing, tortious, defamatory, vulgar, obscene, libelous, invasive of another's privacy, hateful, or racially, ethnically or otherwise objectionable;

... "stalk" or otherwise harass another;

... collect or store personal data about other users;

But the rules are obviously changed if it's Jews that are being harassed.

When contacted, Yahoo! claimed that this guy was just exercising his 'freedom of expression' and there was nothing that they could do about it. 

http://www.geocities.com/israel2zhell/israeli_emails.html

back to home page

in this section we will add a large database containing e mails of jewish people living inside israel , our goal from this is to provide you with these adresses , so you can attack them in any way you like .
for example you can use the usual way of adding them on msn and trying to hack into their pcs , or you can just insult them and disrupt them while they are online , i know although you like to do this ,  not all of you have the tools to attack them so i will provide you sooooooon with a mail bomber and i will explain how to use it so it will be easier for us to start a cyber war  against them .
For this reason , i like form every one who has knowledge about mail bombers and the ways of sending viruses to contact me on : thisisisrael@yahoo.com and help to make this
site an efficient attacker to the israeli terrorists .

for now , here is a list of some israeli e mails i hope you fight them in your usual ways , and tell us the results : click here for the list

You can contact Yahoo at the following address and phone.  Record any responses:

Yahoo! Inc.
701 First Avenue
Sunnyvale, California 94089

Phone (408) 349-3300
Fax (408) 349-3301 

Please take a minute and fill out the form:

http://add.yahoo.com/fast/help/us/geo/cgi_abuse

[JohnathanRGalt]

I think Yahoo needs a little publicity.

[JohnathanRGalt]

Jehadi website ping. (I you want to be taken off the list, let me know).

[Mixer]

Perhaps a call from some Hollywood types that care about Israel might change Yahoo's mind?

[chnsmok]

Yahoo...boo..hiss...more boo...hiss. Ever since I was TOSed from Yahoo (auctions, geocities, whatever their wallet thing was etc) for selling a handgun scope at auction (their rules were no rifle scopes...okay, maybe I was pushing),Yahoo is a bad word for me. Yuck! Barf! Hurl! and more boo...hiss.

[JohnathanRGalt]

So, are we to infer here that at Yahoo it's ok to target Jews as long as you don't use a rifle scope?

[chnsmok]

They sure enforced their terms of service in my case.

[chnsmok]

Just went Yahoo. Yuck (sorry, mandatory). You cannot sell:
Hitler mousepads Swastika flags/patches/posters KKK patches/belt buckles/hats
OR RIFLE SCOPES Yet they allow this poster's garbage.

[ganesha]

I filled out the complaint form and sent it to them.

[Honorary Serb]

But the rules are obviously changed if it's Jews that are being harassed.

Are you sure that the real point is that the rules are changed if it's muslims that are doing the harassing?

There DOES seem to be a bias by the forces of "political correctness" (and even by our leaders all the way up to the White House) to give a lot of latitude to "American" muslims, just to prove that "the war isn't against islam, but against terrorism", and all the other tommyrot.

[gaffin]

Do you think Yahoo! really agrees with this kind of stuff? I don't. Do you think Yahoo! can screen everything that comes through their site. I don't.

[ganesha]

Under point number 7 in the terms of service it says;

"You acknowledge that Yahoo does not pre-screen content, but that Yahoo and it's designees have the right (but not the obligation) in their sole discretion to refuse or remove any content that is available via the Service. Without limiting the foregoing, Yahoo and it's designees shall have the right to remove any content that violates the TOS or is otherwise objectionable."

That's why it's important to fill out the comlaint form for reporting abuse.

[gaffin]

It should be removed and probably will be soon if it hasn't already. Yahoo! is not at fault here. Yahoo' provides great services to the public, like Yahoo' finance.thank you.That's all.

[Alouette]

About 3 years ago I contacted Geocities about the operator of an anti-Semitic website who had been sending me harrassing emails. The hate site was deleted within 24 hours. But I think that was before Geocities was acquired by Yahoo.

[Minutemen]

Message sent to Yahoo GeoCities this morning.
What a bunch of gutless wonders most of these ISP's really are. Anything for a dollar.

[Don Joe]

"Message sent to Yahoo GeoCities this morning."

Don't send it to Yahoo/Geocities.

Send it to Fox News, WorldNetDaily, Jewish World Review, and so forth.

Capesh?

[knighthawk]

Freepin' action needed now against this horrible website at Yahoo Geocities.

Middle East list

If people want on or off this list, please let me know.

[knighthawk]

The page is still active. I also send a complaint.

[facedown]

Perhaps we should have a chat with these folks directly.

[facedown]

Sent complaint form to Yahoo and email to the guy(?).

[JohnathanRGalt]

Do you think Yahoo! really agrees with this kind of stuff? I don't. Do you think Yahoo! can screen everything that comes through their site. I don't.

That's why they have a complaint form so that if really objectionable content is posted, Yahoo! can be informed and they can take action.

It should be removed and probably will be soon if it hasn't already. Yahoo! is not at fault here....

I see the site is still up. It's been 5 days since numerous people started screaming about it -- no response from Yahoo!

Legally, if the ISP ignores its own TOS (which is a legal document designed by lawyers to protect the ISP from fault) then the ISP becomes responsable for the content. If damage occurs because of a cyberattack then Yahoo! may be in for some serious damages itself.