Porn on the Internet (fwd)

[Publib Poster]

Sender: tc at stour.net.au (Trevis Lawton)
Subject: Porn on the Internet

This is the same argument we are having as Internet Access Providers at
present. Are we responsible for the information that we transport to
people, or is it the responsibility of the company that allows such
information to be posted?

Do we charge the people who find the material, or do we charge the people
who post the material - or both?

I think to a certain degree this misses the point. There is only a limited
amount that can be done to prevent undesirable aspects infiltrating such an
all-inclusive medium. No matter what barriers are established this kind of
material will find a place on the Net where everyone can get at it (just as
it does in everyday society). If they force IAPs to stop carrying, for
example, the alt.binaries.sex newsgroups, the people who post to those
groups will simply post them to groups with more inocuous names. It won't
stop the problem, but merely shift it - and make it easier to stumble upon
it by accident.

We need to focus on how to stop people putting these things on the
networks, not think of ways in which to restrict access to the networks.
One of the beauties of the Net, is the fact that people have been able to
add things they think will be of use, without reference to authorative
bodies (outside of their own), and thus things get done. The minute you
start talking in terms of watchdogs and controlling legislation, you begin
to deter the free-flow that has made the Internet so useful so quickly.

OK, we need to do something, but think of the wide-ranging implications -
what do we do - stop IRC because people tell each other where the "bad"
sites are (amongst the perverted online sex channels); close down
newsgroups because it's too hard to see what's inside each group (you can
post a filthy picture in rec.cycling just as easy as in alt.binaries.sex);
close the Web because full colour pics can be posted without coding or
warning; ...


It's a very thin line to tread, placing the loss of value and fuctionality
of the Net against the very small amount of actual good that will come of
the watchdogs in stopping the filth (which is not so great anyway).


/////////  ////////    Trevis C. Lawton (AALIA)
   //     //           System Administrator
  //     //            Stour System Services (http://www.stour.net.au/)
 //     ////////       Bullsbrook, W.Australia

"It's hard to sleep at night if you're worried that a ten-pound frog
from Southern Cameroon may come and jump on your stomach."
                                                    Chas. M. Schulz