Policing the Internet: Jake Baker and beyond
March 9, 1995

This archive details a debate which occurred on March 9, 1995 at the University of Michigan concerning the celebrated Jake Baker case (a student who wrote a violent pornographic work of fiction using the name of a fellow student.) The following is a page the Michigan Telecommunications and Technology Law Review set up to cover the event.

The Baker case, at the trial level, has been published and is available online.

Introduction: Jeffrey Lehman, Dean of the Michigan Law School
Moderator: Professor Joan Lowenstein
Panelists:
  • Catharine Mackinnon, University of Michigan Law School, Professor of Law
  • Daniel Weitzner, Center for Democracy and Technology, Deputy Director
  • Scott Charney, Department of Justice, Director of Computer Crimes
  • Barry Steinhardt, American Civil Liberties Union, Associate Director
  • Donald Lively, University of Toledo, Professor of Law
  • Virginia Rezmierski, Information Technology Division, Assistant to the Vice Provost
    • The Transcript

    1. PLEASE READ: Editorial Policy regarding transcript
    2. Opening Statement by Dean Lehman
    3. Introduction by Joan Lowenstein
    4. Scott Charney's Opening Statement
    5. Virginia Rezmierski's Opening Statement
    6. Daniel Weitzner's Opening Statement
    7. Catharine MacKinnon's Opening Statement
    8. Barry Steinhardt's Opening Statement
    9. QUESTION ONE: What is the Department of Justice's position on prosecution of encryption
    10. QUESTION TWO: Anonymity, accountability, and the 'Net
    11. QUESTION THREE: How can the Internet be used for empowerment
    12. QUESTION FOUR: Rights for Computer programs?
    13. QUESTION FIVE: How should lawmakers be educated as to current technology?
    14. QUESTION SIX: Is a civil suit pending in the Jake Baker case?
    15. QUESTION SEVEN: Will Federal Law preempt state law in cases involving the Internet?
    16. QUESTION EIGHT: Comment about the Baker affidavit
    17. QUESTION NINE: Why did the University of Michigan choose to respond in this way to the Baker incident?
    18. QUESTION TEN: A question about Catharine MacKinnon's positions on obscenity and pornography
    19. QUESTION ELEVEN: Does pornography drive the 'Net?

    If you'd like to know basic information about the event, here is the original press release with more details.

    The Baker Case

    Additional information about the Baker case itself is available at Peter Swanson's Jake Baker page.


    MTTLR Michigan Telecommunications and Technology Law Review - mttlr@umich.edu
    625 South State · Ann Arbor, MI 48109 · 734.764.4181