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COPA and censoring the Internet

March 30, 2007 - 3:05am — Blake

Seth Finkelstein writes "LISnews'ers may enjoy my recent column discussing
COPA
and censorware:

"If a control system works for parents using it for what teenagers can
see, it will work for governments using it for what citizens can
see. Likewise, if citizens can escape government control of what they
can read, teenagers will be able to escape parental control of what
they can read. Now, pick one.""

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March 30, 2007 - 6:03am — Bibliofuture

Behind schedule.....

We are behind schedule.

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March 30, 2007 - 12:42pm — GregS*

Huh?

What exactly is his point? That governments can filter? China has been doing that for a while now.

And filtering is impolitely termed as "censorware".

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April 1, 2007 - 9:54pm — RobertL

Re:Huh?

Because that's exactly what it is. It selects certain sites, and blocks them from being accessed by the internet station. It is an act of exclusion since those sites are as freely available as any other site. "Filtering software" is just a way to try and make it sound more benign than it is.

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April 2, 2007 - 1:36am — GregS*

Re:Huh?

"Filtering software" is just a way to try and make it sound more benign than it is."

Whereas the word "censorship" has been turned into an excuse to hyperventilate.

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April 2, 2007 - 1:55am — RobertL

Re:Huh?

Would you argue that "filtering software" is a more applicable term than "censorware"? If yes, in what way? You wouldn't describe was censorware does as censoring?

Checking..nope..no hyperventilating. On my part at least. ;)

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April 2, 2007 - 2:00pm — GregS*

Re:Huh?

"You wouldn't describe was censorware does as censoring?"

No because it doesn't consciously do it. The parent or user of the software makes a choice as to what words or sites will be blocked and then the filtering software filters it out. You can call the parent the censor if you want, most people are going to shrug their shoulders and say "so what?"

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