Internet Censorware Summit, Clinton to speak, Dec 1-3
At 09:20 -0800 10/30/97, James S. Tyre wrote:
Showing my ignorance, what's the "real" censorware summit?
Check out http://www.kidsonline.org/ -- it's a hoot. Praises the CDA as a "well-intentioned effort to protect children." Grew out of the White House's kickoff Censorware Summit in July; Clinton is expected to speak at this one. Scheduled for Dec 1-3 here in DC. Chaired by former Clinton campaign official and former FTC "protect the children" Commissioner Christine Varney. (This is not to criticize Varney; I rather like her personally, but politically, well...) The Censorware Summit is organized largely by industy groups -- America Online initially took the lead role -- and sympathetic advocacy groups. Donna Rice-Hughes (yes that Donna Rice) is heavily involved, as operations co-chair or something (I forget her real title). Sydney Rubin (syd@kidsonline.org), a public relations rep for CyberPatrol, is handling media registration. The Center for Democracy and Technology is hosting the kidsonline.org web site. Following is a quote from the web site. Note it talks about how we need stricter enforcement of obscenity laws -- one of the worst ideas I've heard in a while. Remember Robert Thomas -- why should S.F. or NYC be subject to the "community standards" of Tennessee? *sigh*
The summit will seek to advance the following objectives in accordance with Presidential and Congressional statements on Internet use by children:
Technological Solutions: Encouraging market-based development and deployment of an effective, easy-to-use "digital toolbox" of user empowerment tools which can assist parents and others responsible for children, in shielding those children from material they deem inappropriate and shaping children's communication and information options online; to enable access to positive content and communications based on individual values; and to enable service and content providers, and others, to create family-friendly environments.
Enforcement of Current Law: Fostering greater cooperation among law enforcement, industry, and the public, to support vigorous enforcement of existing laws against using the Internet to traffic in obscene material and child pornography, stalk children, and commit other crimes.
Fortunately there's a coalition forming to oppose this. That is, emphasizing the free speech implications of rating and filtering proposals. I understand details will be made public soon. As I said:
Look for the usual suspects to stand up and wave around censorware programs, blissfully ignoring the fact that the Supreme Court ruled recently that the Net should be as free as print or a public square. Last I checked, print publishers would never endorse any "self-labelling" system to stave off Federal censorship. They'd have the balls to stand up and fight. So should the Net.
-Declan
Sponsors include:
http://www.netparents.org/summit_part.html Center for Media Education
This is the same group that I wrote about in June; excerpt attached below. Note that no traditional free speech or journalist groups are represented. Groups like ACLU, Media Coalition, EPIC, National Coalition Against Censorship, National Campaign for Freedom of Expression, Freedom Forum, Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, PEN/NWU, Association of American Publishers, Feminists for Free Expression, American Society of Newspaper Editors, Media Institute, American Society of Magazine Editors, Thomas Jefferson Center for the Protection of Free Expression. None of 'em there. Nada. Hell, even MPAA and the NAB would be better than Enough is Enough. -Declan *********** http://cgi.pathfinder.com/netly/opinion/0,1042,1055,00.html The Netly News Network June 13, 1997 The Cartoon Decency Act? by Declan McCullagh (declan@well.com) We all know what threats confront our children today: War. Hunger. Poverty. Ignorance. But animated cartoon characters on the Net? Actually, the Center for Media Education and its allies ignored the others and just zeroed in on the looming menace of Net-toons yesterday during the Federal Trade Commission's interminable privacy hearings. CME's Shelley Pasnik warned, "Animated product spokescharacters are coming into our childrens' computers... Parents are deeply troubled by the intrusive nature of the online [world] coming into our homes." Hadn't she read Kurt Anderson's editorial in The New Yorker this week, that the onslaught of 'toons signals a cultural renaissance in the U.S.? Doh! The Center for Media's alarums sound familiar. Supporters of the notorious Communications Decency Act cried that "pornography is coming into our home computers" and used the same excuse of "protecting children" to justify passing the law. [...]
participants (1)
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Declan McCullagh