IP: Radical idea for the Net: parental responsibility

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

Full article at web site (sorry copyright you know) djf




http://www.mercurycenter.com/business/gillmor/docs/dg113097.htm


Radical idea for the Net: parental responsibility


                Nov. 30, 1997


                BY DAN GILLMOR
                Mercury News Technology Columnist 


 WHEN the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the infamous Communications
 Decency Act in July, the cyberspace-censorship debate didn't end. The search
 continued for a way to protect freedom of online expression while keeping
 inappropriate material away from children.


 Some people still want to enact outright censorship laws, though they're
 unlikely to get very far, given the court's strong ruling in favor of
freedom of
 expression. Others have gravitated toward different approaches, notably
 ``nanny-ware''-- software that blocks offensive material from reaching your
 computer screen -- and Internet rating systems.


 But just as we've learned in the debate over encryption, the scrambling of
 digital information to keep it from prying eyes, the nature of the Net
makes it
 impossible to find a truly satisfying middle ground. Of course, that won't
deter
 the nanny-ware and Internet-rating advocates who will turn out in force at a
 White House-endorsed ``Internet Online Summit'' this week, a follow-up to a
 similar July conference.


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"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."
- Ben Franklin, ~1784
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