Internet Filtering
In the one camp we have a surprisingly strong reaction from internet users, opposed to censorship of any kind. In the other camp we have a government being lobbied by parental groups sick of their kids stumbling across pornography in their daily browsing.
It seems to me there are fair arguments on both sides. The sexualization of girls in Australia I find to be a particularly disturbing trend. But fear that governments will use filtering as a veil to hide their own brand of censorship is also valid.
The facts that have leaked out about the filter have not been encouraging. First we saw a list of URL’s that were so poorly vetted it stank of either political intervention or grand incompetence. Now we have the government retreating behind a wall of secrecy, leaving all to wonder what they are trying to hide?
Years ago there was a debate at Oxford University where they debated the nature of freedom. In the end they concluded that freedom has two faces, the freedom to and the freedom from. In other words, my freedom to run around and chop your head off with an axe would destroy your freedom to continue your life in peace. So there had better be a law against that.
So anarchy is never the solution, and I don’t advocate it for the internet.
There is a growing need for parents to be able to take control of the internet on behalf of their children. To ignore that is to be callous. And it can’t be so complex that only computer savvy parents can run it. So what we have here is a fair and legitimate need, but a strong reaction against it becoming a government sponsored censorship program and political whipping boy. Sadly, it is neither technically easy, nor black and white. Rather what is needed is a careful balancing of freedoms, the nature of which governments have a poor track record achieving.
As it stands the election has put both sides on hold. What I would like to see if a better understanding from internet users of the legitimate need to protect children. In the end to be just against everything is not a very constructive position to take.
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