News.com.au this morning reports:
"The Federal Government is planning to make internet censorship compulsory for all Australians and could ban controversial websites on euthanasia or anorexia. Australia's level of net censorship will put it in the same league as countries including China, Cuba, Iran and North Korea, and the Government will not let users opt out of the proposed national internet filter when it is introduced."
I am of two minds with this. We all are aware that there are a lot of sick sites and people out there on the web. Every kind of sick pornography imaginable, instructions on how to commit suicide, racist propaganda, how to build bombs etc etc etc. As the parent of a very smart teenager I know that he has probably come across some of this garbage already and as a caring parent I would prefer that he was not able to get to any of this stuff. On the other hand however, censorship has the potential to suppress the exchange of radical ideas and inhibit creativity and art. Who makes the decision as to where the censorship line is drawn and what moral measure do they use? Will be watching this issue with great interest,
No comments:
Post a Comment