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Re: discipline and punishment on the Net



     At first blush, "SafeNet" sounds like an Orwellian censor. Who is
this guy to dictate that I can read only what meets his "Biblical
standards?" But if you think about it, "SafeNet" may be exactly the kind
of filter that civil libertarians seek. Rather than having the government
as censor, or a broad-brush rating system, each subscriber to the Net
enlists a "publisher" of sorts to provide the material that he or she
wishes to allow in his or her household (kid's computer, etc.). This line
of thinking presumes, of course, that the conditions of the filter are
explicit and alternative sources of information on the Internet are
available. More problematic is when the computer is a shared resource,
such as in a library or classroom. Then what's acceptable becomes a matter
of public concern. But the free flow of ideas is always a fragile concept.
So let's be sure to distinguish between an individual's right to
determine what they want to read or see and the broader right of access to
 information in cyberspace.


**********************************************
*      Scott Maier                           *
*      Doctoral Student                      *
*      Journalism and Mass Communication     *
*      University of North Carolina          *
*      E-mail: smaier@email.unc.edu          *
*      Telephone: 919-967-4371               *
**********************************************




On Thu, 18 Sep 1997, Paul Jones wrote:

> ISP become censors
> http://www.mediainfo.com/ephome/news/newshtm/stories/091797n1.htm
> 
> "Safe Net in California is another ISP promoting its ability to preempt
> all its users' access to Web sites with sex, violence and other
> objectionable content. Ken Walker, who created SafeNet, said he uses his
> own judgment to decide what gets filtered.  According to a Frequently
> Asked Questions (FAQ) list on the Web site, Walker states: "Anything I
> feel is offensive or personally do not agree with, I filter.  My views are
> greatly derived from biblical standpoints."" 
> 
> Isn't this just editting? or is it something more? 
> 
> 
> Johnny Cash testifies in Congress against net.pirates
> http://www.nytimes.com/library/cyber/week/091897copyright.html
> 
> Enjoy a photo of JC with Sonny Bono. How does this fit with the history of
> media control from newspapers, to radio, to recording, to TV, to VCRs, to
> digital tapes?
> On the other side the less glamourous figure:
> "Roy Neel, president of the U.S. Telephone Association, said that for
> Internet service providers and phone companies, the treaty language would
> be like holding the Bic company responsible for the content of what was
> written with its pens." 
> 
> 
> ==========================================================================
>                              Paul Jones
> Certified Black Helicopter Pilot *** Unwitting Dupe of One World Gov'ment
> http://sunsite.unc.edu/pjones/     The Unix Web Server Book (Ventana 1997)
>   pjones@sunsite.unc.edu   voice: (919) 962-7600     fax: (919) 962-8071 
> ===========================================================================
> 
> 



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