Date: Sun, 30 Mar 1997 21:04:26 +0000
From: Brandi Jasmine <nitefall@idirect.com>
To: webgrrls-toronto@webgrrls.com
Subject: Re: Net Censorship: Article Excerpt

Just as we have a right to see what we WANT to see, so also do we have a 
right not to be exposed to that which we do not want to see.  Censorship 
is not a black-white either or proposition: what frightens ME is the idea 
some folks have that they have the right to bombard people with ANY 
images, ideas, they may wish in the name of "free speech".  People should 
have the right to set their own "off" buttons.  Right now, I'm getting 
bombarded by spam from a bestiality and rape-sex site called feral.com in 
my e-mail, and I can assure you that despite my generally strong stomach, 
I sure DO want a way to put an end to it.  It's harassment, IMHO, yet 
folks like this INSIST they have a RIGHT to bombard me with e-mail (at my 
expense!).

It's irresponsible to suggest that people ought not have the right 
to screen for themselves.  It's also politically stupid: without 
screening tools as an available option, right-wing-nuts and their ilk will 
become increasingly hystrionic until real censorship is achieved.

>But one of the most interesting things about the level of
>competition between these programs is that the actual lists of
>banned sites have become a trade secret of sorts, and are kept
>under tight control - that's right, users of the programs aren't
>*allowed* to know just what their kids are being blocked from
>seeing.

Then they will not succeed in the long-run - without TRUE end-user control 
over the list, how can these programs be customized?  What most reasonable 
folks want are tools that they can customize.  In my case, I find right-
wing rants and Gerry Falwell offensive - I may want the ability to block 
that.  Another parent may find my astrology site offensive.  The above 
is an example of the rank arrogance of software manufacturers, and also 
their foolishness.  I'm not afraid, because these idiots will put 
themselves out of business as soon as someone with sense comes along with 
an open-standard open-list filter.

>especially the fact that many
>of these programs offer parents the ability to monitor what kind
>of content their kids have been trying to access.

Parents have that right, whether we like it or not.  So do businesses. 
S/He who pays the bills should have the right to decide what kind of data 
the machine is used for, and to monitor it's use if they wish.  You want 
unrestricted, unregulated, unmonitored access, then you pay for it, grrl, 
and read it on your own time.  

No-one should have the right to tell anyone what they cannot carry - nor 
what they MUST.  Both options are equally frightening.

Brandi
--
Brandi Jasmine -- Freelance Writer, Illustrator, Consultant 
Visit: http://web.idirect.com/~bjasmine/