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  • Just makes me sick

    5) Censorship, Big Brother, AOL, and Site Ratings

    I recently added content ratings to Langa.Com using a voluntary program
    run by the Internet Content Rating Association: You embed special codes in
    a site's pages to alert "nannyware" and browser content filters to the
    presence (or absence) of potentially offensive materials: specifically
    sex, violence, nudity, and strong language. (See http://www.icra.org/ and http://www.w3.org/PICS )

    I hadn't rated the Langa.Com site before because, well, it's pretty
    innocuous.<g> In fact, after wading through the ratings process, I got a
    zero on all counts except language--- because of the occasional mild
    epithet (e.g. a rare "hell" or a "damn"), I got a language rating of a
    "one" out of a possible five, and I probably still could have made that a
    zero if I'd wanted to push it.

    With such tame content, why bother rating at all? Well, it turns out some
    ISPs, browser settings, nannyware, and content providers won't let you
    view a site at all unless it's been rated; unless it passes their content
    filters. Although this is a "guilty until proven innocent" approach, I can
    understand why it's done: Otherwise, the rawest, raunchiest X-rated site
    or hate-speech site (and the like) could simply remain unrated and
    accessible to children--- the people these ratings are intended to
    protect. Rating your site is easy and involves no censorship: All you're
    doing is describing what's already there. I was glad to add the ratings
    code to Langa.Com.

    But there's a darker side to content filtering. For example, AOL uses its
    own content filters, which---like almost everything else on AOL---are
    nonstandard. And they appear to go far beyond filtering for sex, violence,
    nudity, and strong language.

    For example, AOL's content filters can keep you from visiting competitors'
    sites, and they also appear to be fostering a specific political agenda.
    For example, with restrictive settings turned on, AOL lets kids visit the
    home page of the Republican National Committee ( http://www.rnc.org ), but
    not the Democratic National Committee site ( http://www.democrats.org ).
    It's not a ratings thing--- I've looked at the source code for both sites,
    and neither carries internal ratings. Rather, something or someone inside
    AOL has decided that the Republican site is OK for young minds and the
    Democratic site is not.

    Readers have told me that AOL lets them visit some pro-life/anti-abortion
    sites, but not some pro-choice/abortion-rights sites; or some pro-gun
    sites but not some gun-control sites; and in general, allows access to
    conservative-agenda sites more often than to liberal-agenda sites. I
    haven't personally checked out every variation--- I avoid AOL as much as
    possible. But I did specifically check out the Republican/Democrat sites,
    and it's true that kids can visit the former, but not the latter.

    Regardless of your political views, I hope you agree with me that this
    kind of content filtering is a truly evil thing if it's deliberate; and a
    truly inexcusable thing even if it's just programmatic sloppiness or
    stupidity: This has nothing to do with protecting kids. It amounts to
    censorship, and it's dead wrong.
    http://www.langa.com/
    "Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind." -- Dr. Seuss

    "Always do good. It will gratify some and astonish the rest." ~Mark Twain

  • #2
    i agree it is censership. but not unexspected from aol. remember this is a company that depending on what version of there software you are useing, they control what browser, email and other software you use on your computer. or can even look right into your harddrive when ever they want. (never mind there extreamely bad tech and user support.)

    why do they have to care if you don't pay them someone else will.
    msi 6167 mobo k7 500 wk41 now at 650. 256 meg ram ,addtronics case w 250watt sp power supply, matrox g400, maxtor diammax 2500+ 10gig hd,10x aopen slot dvd, 3com 10/100 nic, sb live xgamer sound card, efecent networks dsl modem, dlink 701i dsl router/firewall, lots of controlers (joystick throttle rudder raceing wheel), 19in ctx monitor, logitech mouseman wheel usb, and klipsch promedia v2-400 speakers. win98 oem and win2k pro dual boot.

    noel
    it's times like this that make me think of my fathers last words....

    Don't son that gun is loaded.

    Comment


    • #3
      As if I needed another reason to avoid AOL like the plague... I don't even take those bulk-mailed CDs into the same room as my computer.

      A nitpicky issue - a private party cannot be guilty of censorship. I'm betting that if you read their user agreement, you signed away your right to view whatever you want.

      I'm no lawyer, but because you have other options for viewing that information (ie, get a real ISP), it's not, by definition, censorship.

      I'll have to look into it a little bit, but I believe only the government can be guily of censorship.

      [Begin parental & personal responsibility rant]

      We live in an age where parental & personal responsibility is becoming a thing of the past. We have V-chips in TVs, filtering software for web sites. When will people come to the realization that becoming a parent carries certain responsibilities? If you're not willing to commit to those responsibilities, have yourselves spayed or neutered! I'm tired of hearing about kids gone bad because "Dad wasn't there" - where was Mom?!?

      Kids share some of the blame today because society is also moving towards a lack of PERSONAL responsibility. We are teaching our children that it's okay to perform poorly because they can blame others. Didn't do well on the SAT? That's okay - it's a culturally biased test. What?!? Are you really saying that some cultures are UNABLE to learn the material?

      Okay, I have to get back to work...

      [End parental & personal responsibility rant]
      PIII 550@605
      IWill Motherboard VD133
      VIA Chipset
      512MB PC133 CAS2 Crucial
      G400 DH 32MB (6.51 Drivers)
      DirectX 8.0a
      SB Live! Value
      8x DVD (Toshiba)
      6x4x24 CDRW (Sony)
      Intel Pro/100+ NIC
      3Com CMX Cable Modem
      Optiquest V95 19"
      HP 812C Color Ink Jet
      Microtek flatbed scanner
      Intellimouse Explorer
      Surround Sound w/two subwoofers
      AND WAY TOO MANY GAMES!!!

      Comment


      • #4
        That is no excuse for the blocking of the Democratic National Committee's site. That is the most outrageous thing I've ever heard.

        Greebe, I think you should bring this to the attention of the DNC as soon as possible. Maybe the New York Times as well.

        If this was done intentionally, I think there should be hell to pay.

        Paul
        paulcs@flashcom.net

        [This message has been edited by paulcs (edited 05 May 2000).]

        Comment


        • #5
          Paul is right, let the Big Boys fight it out before AOL gets comfortable with the new merger and starts flexing it's power even more so.....


          -Dil
          Better to let one think you are a fool, than speak and prove it


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