IP: Magaziner on Net Censorship: Why Bother?

[David Farber <farber () cis upenn edu>]

> Magaziner on Net Censorship: Why Bother?
>
> The Industry Standard.
> http://www.thestandard.com/articles/display/0,1449,6284,00.html?home.bf
>
> By Mary Lisbeth D'Amico
>
> MUNICH - Even if governments wanted to do so, they wouldn't be up
> to the task of censoring the Internet, according to Ira
> Magaziner, former U.S. Internet policy advisor to the White
> House.
>
> "You can't censor the Internet or enact centralized rules on it.
> It doesn't work," said Magaziner, the keynote speaker at the
> Internet Content Summit.
>
> Hosted by the Bertelsmann Foundation, the three-day summit
> features leading politicians, civil-liberties groups,
> law-enforcement agencies and industry representatives. All have
> gathered to hear more about the Foundation's suggested framework
> for self-regulating Internet content.
>
> Politicians, however, have yet to abandon totally the idea of
> policing the Net. While also supporting self-regulatory efforts,
> Germany's Interior Minister Otto Schily stressed in a speech that
> self-regulatory proposals should not serve to delegate all
> responsibility for content to parents. "Government is obliged to
> protect the rights of its citizens," he said.
>
> Given the decentralized nature of the Internet and the 20,000 new
> Web sites that spring up worldwide each week, Magaziner said, no
> government can live up to the promise of protecting users from
> all harmful content.
>
> "Government would take too long and be too inflexible," he said.
>
> Magaziner said that the Clinton administration has long taken a
> hands-off policy on Internet issues, instead looking to the
> private sector to lead the way, as it has on such topics as
> digital signatures.
>
> "What we feel is going to be effective is to empower people to
> protect themselves," he said. Magaziner is currently president of
> SIS, a business-strategy consulting firm.
>
> Magaziner also spoke out in favor of the recommendations
> published today by the Bertelsmann Foundation, which were based
> on discussions with a group of experts and input from four major
> universities.
>
> The proposals include the development of an international system
> for rating and filtering content, which parents have the option
> to employ if they want. They also suggest the creation of a code
> of conduct to ensure that ISPs act responsibly when they become
> aware of harmful content. Another suggestion involved the setting
> up of hotlines for user feedback on content and conduct
> violations.
>
> Civil-liberties groups, meanwhile, have expressed concerns that
> any attempt to rate Internet content will amount to censorship.
>
> Yesterday, for example, a group called Cyber-Rights &
> Cyber-Liberties issued a statement to coincide with the
> Bertelsmann Foundation's summit. "ISPs and content providers
> should recognize that the European Convention on Human Rights
> (and other international agreements) enshrine the rights to
> freedom of expression, privacy and access to information," the
> statement said.
>
> Mary Lisbeth D'Amico writes for the IDG News Service.