[LINK] Web censorship plan heads towards a dead end

[Jan Whitaker]

At 06:46 AM 27/02/2009, Stilgherrian wrote:

>One of the key problems with with ACMA blacklist is its secret,
>unaccountable nature. It has been pitched continuously as "mainly
>child abuse material" to make it seem something no sane person would
>challenge but in fact that's not true.

It's this morphing between 'protecting' children from exploitation 
and 'protecting' children from seeing naughty stuff that is screwing 
up this debate big time. It's mixing up the supply/demand points in 
the chain, as well as the subject/viewer. In the US, there was (is?) 
a sort of parallel in the prostitution/illegal drugs problems. In 
prostitution, the morality aspect is arrest of the johns or not. Are 
the suppliers the prostitutes or their pimps? In drugs, there is the 
issue of arresting the users or the suppliers.

CP is different in that the children ARE the drugs or pros, and 
that's the exploitation that requires attention. How that's done 
isn't by filtering the net!!

And filtering the net to restrict children seeing child porn is just 
weird logic.

There are two separate problems that require separate and difficult solutions.

Protection of the child as viewer is a parental responsibility. Broad 
social implementations like that stupid filter idea is too far up the 
chain and self-defeating in the bigger social needs. We all know 
those options: computer in a public space of the home, local 'brakes' 
on what can be accessed like white lists, education of the parent, 
teachable moments, etc. There is too much range in what is 
contextually needed for a person under 18 and no top of chain filter 
will address that.

Protection of child as 'drug' is a definite social responsibility 
because there is sometimes a lack of ability of the 'parent' figure 
to stop it, a denial of it happening, or a complete unawareness of it 
taking place [abusive 
boyfriends/'uncles'/neighbours/step-fathers/fathers]. Police must be 
involved because the abuse is a direct crime on the child that is the 
subject of the CP. It's organised. It's multi-headed. It will take 
the criminal justice system to even attempt to reduce it. It won't go 
away in total. Slavery still exists in the Western world even after 
over 150 years of outlawing it, depending on where in the world we're 
talking about.

Protection of ADULTS is the responsibility of that ADULT him or 
herself, NOT the govt, when it comes to information. Adults can 
exercise informed choice should they wish to do so. They are assumed 
to be able to solve problems with or without assistance. They can hit 
the delete button, filter spam to trash, restrain themselves from 
clicking that link or searching for that 'bad thing'. They can also 
turn in the baddies doing the child abuse should they have the brains to do so.

[end rant]
Jan



Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
jwhit at janwhitaker.com
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~Madeline L'Engle, writer

Writing Lesson #54:
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