ACS PR condemns ABC's search hacker

[Steve Thomas]

At 12:22 PM 14/6/95, Kate Lance wrote:
>I'm not sure it's up to you to control any situation. ...
>... The Net *reflects* life as it is, it's not some sanitised,
>prettyfied Disneyland. ...
>Sorry, but I'm just so fed up with everyone looking for solutions to problems
>that don't exist except in the fevered imaginations of tabloid hacks and
>self-appointed censors.  Stop worrying about what the Net isn't and utilise
>what it *is*.


I agree with Kate. Well said. With the following additional comments.

In this and media discussions of the issue, it seems to me that an
important point is being ignored: if the material published through the net
is illegal in some way, if it breaks the law, then there are legal measures
already in place to deal with that. OK, taking legal action is difficult
across state and national borders, but that is one for the legislators etc.
to work out. My point is that no-one has expressed (or sought) an opinion
as to whether the offending material is in fact in breach of any law.

The question of access to such material by minors is a separate issue. Lots
of material is already published (by traditional means) which is unsuitable
for minors. The owner of an "adult" bookshop is legally bound to deny
access to minors. When the legislators get around to it, I have no doubt
that they will demand similar controls for net access, so maybe we'd better
start looking at ways and means now. Don't we at least have a moral duty to
prevent minors accessing "adult" material? (And I don't just mean "dirty
pictures"; there are lots of more legitimate types of information to which
children should not be exposed without guidance.)

Or do we simply say that parents have a responsibility to control their
children's access, just as they do with TV?

Whatever we feel about this, the issue will not go away.

Steve

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 Stephen Thomas, Senior Systems Analyst
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