XXX: Too Hot to Handle
I understand where Professor Lessig is coming from but I’m not so sure I agree with his conclusion. Lessig refers to the trend we’re currently seeing from regulating legislation and advanced technology in attempting to “tame” the internet.
I think one of the most exciting aspects of the internet is that it can not be controlled from the top down. Instead, global governments should try to instill a voluntary approach like they are doing for porn sites. Creating the dot-xxx sites allow once questionable sites to offer safer online payment options. Purchasing the domain does not regulate any of the conduct and can still be accessed to anyone. I think the dot-xxx option is a great example of the internet opting to regulate itself and begins to address ethical issues online.
(You can Google “xxx domain” or “xxx domain ethical” and it will bring up a bunch of articles- enjoy!)
1 Comments:
Although the proposal as it stands means that the .xxx domains can still be accessed by anyone, this can easily be blocked by filtering system (in the same way Google and Yahoo can ensure image searches do not return pornogrpahic material). Again, many would argue this is a good thing, and I wouldn't want my young nieces to accidentally come across that material.
But as ever with these things, the question is where do you draw the line as to what is considered .xxx, and who draws it? As MarketingVox reported, an idea like this can easily be distorted. For instance, some observers have raised the possibility that socially conservative groups could also force topics such as homosexuality or birth control to use .xxx zone, which could be all too easily blocked by filters.
Suddenly, what seems a great idea to enable me to make sure I can avoid unwanted material means I can also be denied access to material that I consider important, but others consider immoral and even evil. I am not sure what the answer is, but allowing other people to decide what is considered unacceptable is too much of a slippery slope.
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