Net Porn Filters Just Don't Work

from the tell-us-again dept

Here's a completely reasonable opinion piece from SFGate talking about why internet porn filters are a waste of time - and why the Supreme Court shouldn't force libraries to install them. He points out that children, these days, are going to come across sexually explicit material no matter what they do. Putting up a porn filter that will block just a tiny bit of it on the internet isn't going to change that. This is, once again, a situation where parents need to take responsibility for properly educating their children. The amusing part of the article, though, is that he gets a VP of NetNanny, a filter company that supports the filtering requirement, to admit that his filters really don't work. "Ultimately, any kid that's determined to see this stuff will see it. There's nothing we or anyone can do to stop it."
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  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 13 Nov 2002 @ 11:21am

    Why stop there?

    Kids can also easily get drugs. They're a lot harder to come by than Hustler but kids seem to find them. Let's just have a school pharmacologist hand out drugs to the kids. This way Timmy won't have to fret over whether his Ecstasy is laced with anything. He can get his drugs from a safe and reliable source! Perhaps the pharmacologist could also a pint of beer to wash the pill down with.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • icon
      Mike (profile), 13 Nov 2002 @ 11:47am

      Re: Why stop there?

      There is, of course, a whole world of difference between actively providing something and simply deciding not to block something.

      But, you knew that, didn't you?

      link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Josh H., 14 Nov 2002 @ 6:25am

    No Subject Given

    From what I understand, this case involves whether the library has the right to use a filter to protect children, or whether that infringes on the 1st Amendment rights of others.

    The Supreme Court is certainly not FORCING librarys to install filters.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • icon
      Mike (profile), 14 Nov 2002 @ 6:57am

      Re: No Subject Given

      Nope. You've got it backwards. The case is whether or not libraries are *required* to install filters in order to keep receiving money.

      No matter what the library *can* install filters if they want to. However, the government is trying to require them to in all cases. So, if the Supreme Court sides with the government, then libraries will be forced to install filters if they want to keep receiving the money that lets them stay in business.

      link to this | view in chronology ]


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