...isn't it? Not so sure these days, if universities are blocking access to, well, pretty much anything. Take for instance Dr. Queen's site at the University of Birmingham, where he's a member of the academic staff in the Applied Mathematics Group of the School of Mathematics and Statistics. This might not mean much to you, but it's where Nat hosted his RISC OS crypto resources, including the port of PGP. Only now he isn't.

"These pages have moved because my university no longer supports the principles of free speech and academic freedom proclaimed in its own statutes. The new location is likely to be permanent for the foreseeable future."

The URL you now want is http://www.queen.clara.net/pgp/acorn.html, as opposed to http://web.bham.ac.uk/N.M.Queen/pgp/acorn.html. This is apparently not the only site that has been taken down at Birmingham, but it's the most RISC OS related one.

Thanks to "The" Paul Vigay for the intel. Mr. Vigay, well known agitator and RISC OS supporter, says "...with Universities traditionally being a bastion of free speech, I hope this is not just the beginning. If we're not careful it could happen all over." He's hoping to make people aware of the problem in Birmingham, and for students and staff alike in other locations to ensure that this is not the thin end of the wedge.

Update: the official campaign website is at http://web.bham.ac.uk/Sue_Blackwell/web_campaign/, not only explaining the issue in greater depth but also pointing out the policies at other institutions.

Links:

• Nat's posting via Google Groups
• Paul Vigay's MI5 bait
• Campaign website