IP: Re: China & Internet Censorship

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

Date: Fri, 22 Jan 1999 09:08:02 -0500 
To: farber () cis upenn edu 
From: "Richard J. Solomon" <rsolomon () dsl cis upenn edu> 
Subject: Re: IP: China & Internet Censorship 

> To: "John F. McMullen" <johnmac () acm org> 
>
> Every country seems to have it's own Internet bugaboo - In the USA, the 
> would-be censors focus on sexual content; in China and Singapore. It's 
> criticism of the government; in France, it's use of languages other than 
> French; in Germany, it's keeping track of the Scientologists. The role of 
> governments has always been to restict the flow of information - in 

Every government has their own role. Ours is "life, liberty & the pursuit of happiness..." Since that phrase might be 
construed as ambiguous as to information flows and the Internet, the founders clarified it with the First Amendment 
which commands that "Congress shall make no law ...  abridging the freedom of speech  ..." etc. In case anyone still 
wonders what that really means, the courts have repeatedly said "No Law means No  Law." There are very few exceptions, 
and all for extraordinary reasons. The role of the U. S. goverment is definitely NOT to restrict the flow of 
information. There is nothing in the Constitution about sex, either. 

Richard