Internet Censorship - US are hypocrits

[Nija]

http://www.zdnet.com/anchordesk/stories/story/0,10738,2897318,00.html



Firewalls and content filtering software are designed to screen Internet traffic that could be dangerous to your PC. When used in this way, they can be effective security tools. However, they can also be used to censor Internet content. Countries such as China have used these tools to restrict the sites to which their citizens have access.

The United States has challenged nations that prevent their people from getting full access to the Internet--and rightly so. But we must also review our own policies. Did you know, for example, that under the Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA), the U.S. government withholds some funding from libraries and public schools that don't filter their Internet access? This law needs to be changed if the U.S. wants to help open up the Internet abroad--and avoid the appearance of hypocrisy.


there is another link farther down in the article which relates to Censorship gone too far (http://archive.salon.com/tech/feature/2001/06/14/net_filtering/index.html).

[raimin]

I have to disagree with this

China blocks and filters everybody, publicly and privately and for political gain

The US withholding funds from library and schools is blocking publicly, due to the fact that usage for library and classes should be limited for that use. Sure the filtering the libraries is using is not the best, but many feels is necessary.

[Nija]

Originally posted by raimin
I have to disagree with this

China blocks and filters everybody, publicly and privately and for political gain

The US withholding funds from library and schools is blocking publicly, due to the fact that usage for library and classes should be limited for that use. Sure the filtering the libraries is using is not the best, but many feels is necessary.

China, shouldn't as far as I'm concerned.

but they are doing selective censorship. pushing their ideals on people. if i'm in class, doing research, and research sites are blocked wth am i going to do? go to the appropraitely designated sites, so all of us will have the same information to base our conclusions on? that's lame. i can understand blocking pornography in school, since 99% of the kids in school aren't legally old enough to view it, but they are blocking stuff that is contrary to their ideals.

The government is telling other countries to stop censoring their internet connection, and then turn around and tell libraries that if they don't censor their connections, they won't get badly needed funding.

[sbp]

Got pragmatism? (http://forums.zdnet.com/group/zd.Anchordesk/anchordesk/anchordesktb.tpt/@thread@79893@forward@1@D-,D@ALL/@article@79893?EXP=ALL&VWM=hr&ROS=1)

"The CIPA requires libraries and schools to filter Internet content in order to qualify for federal funds to help pay for computers and Internet access." Don't accept the money if the restrictions are not liked. Problem solved. Next thread please.

[kimchicowboy]

i read an article today that there's like complete censorship in iraq too. students using internet at school have to let the administrator know keywords they plan on using.

[Grimm]

Libraries have a moral responsability to provide unlimited access to information. Therefore they can not block access... The government is always looking for a way to save money (except for pork barrel projects that help fatten their campaign coffers). So this makes perfect sense. They can stop funding libraries and pretend they are doing it "for the good of the children".

Safe or Free... pick one.

If your children are not free, they can not be safe. Think of all the little Jewish children that were "protected" in Nazi Germany. The only true chance for safety lies in freedom, think about that when some politician wants to make "the children" safer by "limiting" a freedom.

[molecularfire]

You mean like no drinking till your 21?

[mojo]

hey, all i know is when i first got to philly i hadda use the public libarry to get online to do email and get my g|a fix. if i was filtered from doing that, i woulda shat a twinkie.

what big brother "should" and "shouldn't" filter is prolly more complicated than just filtering pr0n and stuff. if you really wanna filter the kids from seeing bad stuff, perhaps a real live (responsible) adult to supervise would help :idea:

[molecularfire]

yeah, and if we would ever agree to have our taxes increase to pay for that it would get done. Simple to say lets just hire more people... or the people there should be able to do more... Simple as long as we aren't responsible for getting it done. :rolleyes: