Telecoms companies such as British Telecom aren't responsible for the content of the calls made via them, they can't be prosecuted for offensive calls made through their network by customers. Its unreasonable to even think that they might become liable as its impossible to expect them to check the huge volume of calls that they carry daily. Similarly its ignorant to expect Internet Service Providers to check and filter the information carried on their networks. They have no control over its content.

From a technological viewpoint its unlikely anyhow. Filtering usually involves denying access to a list of sites which needs constant updating and checking. The number of new sites appearing daily is huge, far too much to be covered by the number of staff a Service Provider could reasonably afford to employ. Those sites they would manage to block would soon change addresses and move around, the Internet and its freedom fighters work against blockages.

It could be argued that services such as CompuServe, America Online and the Microsoft Network are different. Not only do they provide access to other sites as normal service providers like Demon do but they also provide their own content over which they do have editorial control. But in fact it is patently unreasonable to expect their content to meet the legal criteria of every nation in which the Internet is accessible.

I haven't even covered the arguments for why censorship is, as a whole, wrong. Most Internet users would agree with me that censorship is wrong and should be frowned upon, and so it can be assumed that any attempts to censor the Internet would be opposed and worked around.

Attempts by the Germans to regulate CompuServe are futile and I think the ensuing legal battle will prove that as Netizens swing in behind CompuServe in support. No one nation will ever have power over the most international, free and important medium in the history of mankind.

The only viable solution will naturally be a compromise between the interests of governments and Netizens. In my view the answer is to create a ruling body for the Internet, independent of Nation and empowered by the vote of Netizens. Not only an experiment in digital democracy but the creation of a digital nation which ignores physical, racial and religious borders.

 

By Jeep - Is a digital government for a digital nation the answer? Tell us!

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