Iggyvibal’s Weblog

Fahrenheit 451.2 : Is Cyberspace Burning? How Rating and Blocking Proposals May Torch Free Speech on the Internet

Book Title: Readings in Cyber Ethics

Library Reference: None

Amazon Link: http://www.amazon.com/Readings-CyberEthics-Second-Richard- Spinello/dp/0763724106/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1239751209&sr=8-1

Quote:” In the landmark case Reno v. ACLU the Supreme Court overturned the Communications Decency Act, declaring that the internet deserves the same high level of free speech protection afforded to books and other printed matter.” Learning Expectation: I expect to learn information about rating and blocking proposals that can affect the freedom of speech on the internet. What are the possible results of those proposals.

Review: On the introduction part of this chapter the author introduced the meaning of Fahrenheit 451. This is a novel of Ray Bradbury which describe society where books are outlawed. In this novel people censor the printed word by burning books. On the other hand, one can censor controversial speech by using rating and blocking programs on the virtual world. This is the main concern of this chapter, blocking of online speech. Based on the case presented in this chapter Federal Communications Decency Act, outlawing indecent online speech. The supreme court overturned the CDA , declaring that the internet is entitled to the highest level of free speech protection. For me I think free speech online must not be banned and must be protected so that the rights of online users will be preserved and exercise properly. While CDA has been turned down, the White House during that time called for a summit meeting regarding this issue. They want to encourage internet users to self-rate their speech and at the same time urge industry leaders to develop and deploy tool for blocking inappropriate speeches. In response to White House’s call the industry leaders has some announcements: Note that these announcements are taken from the chapter itself, I want to place it here give more details Netscape announced plans to join Microsoft – together the two giants have 90% or more of the web browser market – in adopting PICS (Platform for Internet Content Selection), rating standard that establishes a consistent way to rate and block online content <!– /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:Helvetica; panose-1:2 11 6 4 2 2 2 2 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:swiss; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:536902279 -2147483648 8 0 511 0;} @font-face {font-family:Helvetica-Bold; panose-1:0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-format:other; mso-font-pitch:auto; mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;} @font-face {font-family:Helvetica-Oblique; panose-1:0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-format:other; mso-font-pitch:auto; mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:”"; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:”Times New Roman”; mso-fareast-font-family:”Times New Roman”;} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} –>
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• IBM announced it was making $100,000 grant to RSAC (Recreational Software

Advisory Council) to encourage the use of its RSACi ratings system. Microsoft

explorer already employs the RSACi ratings system, Compuserve encourages its

use and it is fast becoming the de facto industry standard rating system

• Four of the major search engines – the services that allow users to conduct

searches of the Internet for relevant sites – announced a plan to cooperate in the

promotion of “self-regulation” of the internet.

• Following the announcement of proposed legislation by Senator Patty Murray

which would impose civil and ultimately criminal penalties on those who mir-rate

a site, the makers of the blocking program Safe Surf proposed similar legislation,

called the Online Cooperative Publishing Act”

•With all these announcements and plans from the industry leaders I think that they didn’t

plan these well. They didn’t consider the long term result of Rating and Blocking Schemes. I

don’t think this is good action point, because it like saying if you don’t use these schemes you

won’t be able to use the Internet. Again internet is made for everybody, everybody can use it

and access it so what’s the need for those rating and blocking schemes? I think this action

made by the American Government is not good at all.

In this chapter the author placed recommendations and principles section which contain

several recommendations, I want to emphasize this one default setting on free speech. Industry

should not develop products that require speakers to rate their own speech or be blocked by

default. This is the most important recommendations and must be followed. They can’t force

anybody to rate their own work and if not their work/speech will blocked. Where is the freedom

of speech there? American Government must revisit this and think twice about the implications.

What I have learned:

I learned that way back few years ago American Government imposed some regulations

regarding speech on line that speeches can’t published if it was not rated well. And in addition to

this the industry proposed several action plans regarding this issue, which must not be the case.

Industry leaders must not participate in any of these issues. In fact they should protect rights of

people online.

Integrative Questions:

1. What is Fahrenheit 451?

2. What is the connection of this to internet?

3. What is Federal Communications Decency Act?

4. What is the Online Cooperative Publishing Act?

5. All acts or laws mentioned above what will be the results of those?