Should The Internet Be Censored And Controlled?

[jenks]

And now cartoons join the banned list
http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/12/29/0140251

The UK isn't much better on things like this, I know it's not banned from the internet as such, but it has been made illegal to own 'rape fantasy' porn in the UK, which while it won't effect almost everyone, is still the start of a worrying trend.

[Flyboy]

The UK isn't much better on things like this, I know it's not banned from the internet as such, but it has been made illegal to own 'rape fantasy' porn in the UK, which while it won't effect almost everyone, is still the start of a worrying trend.

It's illegal to own anything that depicts and promotes real life abusive sexual acts. I'm not sure whether that's just for the internet, but I doubt it. The law came about following a case in which someone's sick fantasy was nurtured and developed by that brand of pornography online and then proceeded to abduct, rape and abuse an innocent girl. It's not censoring the internet, it's a form of prohibition, and for material such as that, I don't disagree with the move.

[jenks]

It's illegal to own anything that depicts and promotes real life abusive sexual acts. I'm not sure whether that's just for the internet, but I doubt it. The law came about following a case in which someone's sick fantasy was nurtured and developed by that brand of pornography online and then proceeded to abduct, rape and abuse an innocent girl. It's not censoring the internet, it's a form of prohibition, and for material such as that, I don't disagree with the move.

I do. The material didn't make anyone do anything, it's compltely harmless. It's just more eroding of our freedoms as I see it, we've already lost freedom of speech in the UK, I wonder what's next...

[Coco Pops]

I do. The material didn't make anyone do anything, it's compltely harmless. It's just more eroding of our freedoms as I see it, we've already lost freedom of speech in the UK, I wonder what's next...

How and why?

Where has freedom of speech gone in the UK?

[Flyboy]

I do. The material didn't make anyone do anything, it's compltely harmless. It's just more eroding of our freedoms as I see it, we've already lost freedom of speech in the UK, I wonder what's next...

Ah yes, the freedom to engage in sick, perverted and depraved behaviour. Of course. What was I thinking, of course that's ok. Just as it's PERFECTLY fine not to have child pornography be illegal. [/sarcasm]

We all agree that child porn is sick and should be illegal. And quite rightly. So why can't we agree that other forms of offensive and disgusting material shouldn't be illegal?

[Coco Pops]

Ah yes, the freedom to engage in sick, perverted and depraved behaviour. Of course. What was I thinking, of course that's ok. Just as it's PERFECTLY fine not to have child pornography be illegal. [/sarcasm]

We all agree that child porn is sick and should be illegal. And quite rightly. So why can't we agree that other forms of offensive and disgusting material shouldn't be illegal?

Simple answer child porn is bad and evil....

But normal porn made by consenting adults and for consenting adults should not be censored. What do people want a cotton wool world and rose coloured glasses to view the world. What next censor and ban Playboy magazines? Where do you draw the line?

[Anubis69]

Simple answer child porn is bad and evil....

But normal porn made by consenting adults and for consenting adults should not be censored. What do people want a cotton wool world and rose coloured glasses to view the world. What next censor and ban Playboy magazines? Where do you draw the line?

No one would even suggest that, it's totally different. A magazine where women get their tits out in a few pages punctuated with articles is not even close to a totally unregulated site containing graphic reenactments of rape. Saying that though:

The law came about following a case in which someone's sick fantasy was nurtured and developed by that brand of pornography online and then proceeded to abduct, rape and abuse an innocent girl.

Those arguements don't convince me one way or another. You see those testimonies from parents in the media all the time about games and music. "My son, the image of perfection and absolute truth, was perverted by these sick outside influences." Bulls**t.

Oh. And in conclusion: Rule 34.

[Flyboy]

No one would even suggest that, it's totally different. A magazine where women get their tits out in a few pages punctuated with articles is not even close to a totally unregulated site containing graphic reenactments of rape. Saying that though:

Those arguements don't convince me one way or another. You see those testimonies from parents in the media all the time about games and music. "My son, the image of perfection and absolute truth, was perverted by these sick outside influences." Bulls**t.

Oh. And in conclusion: Rule 34.

I'm just saying why the law came about. And that it's not internet censorship, it's material censorship.

But I still maintain that stuff like that which has been banned, which goes WELL beyond that which is 'regular porn' for want of a better word, deserves to remain banned. Indeed, in some instances, there is no guarantee that it's simulated. I would agree, the individual that instigated the law to be made, would have been messed up before hand, however, I think that actually having access to the content was a bad idea anyway. Such disturbing and violent mater should not be available for people - we shouldn't be encouraging people to persue such deprave activities by having it as legal.

[Anubis69]

I'm just saying why the law came about. And that it's not internet censorship, it's material censorship.

But I still maintain that stuff like that which has been banned, which goes WELL beyond that which is 'regular porn' for want of a better word, deserves to remain banned. Indeed, in some instances, there is no guarantee that it's simulated. I would agree, the individual that instigated the law to be made, would have been messed up before hand, however, I think that actually having access to the content was a bad idea anyway. Such disturbing and violent mater should not be available for people - we shouldn't be encouraging people to persue such deprave activities by having it as legal.

I agree to an extent. Personally, I can't see any logical reasons people would want to see that sort of thing. Erotic? I doubt it. Sense of power? It's a video, I doubt it. But that's not to say that someone somewhere might actually have a reason to watch it, something innocent? No idea what that might be, but if no one (minus one) is being harmed is there really a justification to remove it?

Could this be a case of us applying our morals and thought processes to something which we really have no idea about? I'd wager to understand it, you'd have to view the stuff yourself. I have no inclination to do so and tbh don't even know how to even go about finding that stuff (google lol?) but ... We're getting a filtered, bullet point summary of (presumably) a small group of sites on the internet from the point of view of the media.

tl;dr - Are we in a position to judge what some people do in their spare time?

[jenks]

How and why?

Where has freedom of speech gone in the UK?

Anything you say that can be deemed to be either inciting racial hatred or glorifying terrorism is illegal, and this doesn't just mean grooming people for violence, this extends to personal opinions you voice as well, and it's wrong.

Ah yes, the freedom to engage in sick, perverted and depraved behaviour. Of course. What was I thinking, of course that's ok. Just as it's PERFECTLY fine not to have child pornography be illegal. [/sarcasm]

We all agree that child porn is sick and should be illegal. And quite rightly. So why can't we agree that other forms of offensive and disgusting material shouldn't be illegal?

Child porn is illegal to protect children from abuse, it's got nothing to do with how disgusting it is. This violent/rape porn stuff is completely harmless, it's not real, it's staged. To be honest I'm not sure how this law is even being enforced, because there are many movies with rape scenes in them but to my knowledge they're not illegal in the UK. The point is the government and the law exists to protect, not dictate to us what's moral and what's not and enforce it as law, that path leads to a totalitarian state.

[Skydiver]

So why can't we agree that other forms of offensive and disgusting material shouldn't be illegal?

the thing is, 'offensive and disgusting' are relative terms. what if you decide that a black marrying a white is offensive and disgusting? or that a woman walking outside with her face and hair uncovered is offensive and disgusting? or footage or photos of two people of the same gender holding hands.

china obviously has a very broad definition of 'offensive and disgusting'.

I'm not saying i like that porn, i'm not saying that i defend it....but once you start using relative terms to ban things, where do you stop?

Because it's not a far stretch at all to have a majority of legislators and politicians to declare that something very mundane to be 'offensive and disgusting' and to use that to practice real and dangerous censorship

civil liberties are so taken for granted that people don't often realize that they've lost them until it's too late

[pinielf]

I do think that the internet has to be controlled since it is out of control there is no reason that 80% of the net is porn. And sites for violence and terrorism there no reason for them to be there.
How to define what to remove that is difficult.

[Coco Pops]

I do think that the internet has to be controlled since it is out of control there is no reason that 80% of the net is porn. And sites for violence and terrorism there no reason for them to be there.
How to define what to remove that is difficult.

How do you kknow the net is 80% porn.

Are you one of those people that believe porn is just "two clicks" away whenever you pop online? It's like the people in my country campaigning for internet filtering...

They are under the impression that child porn is everywhere and anyone can stumble upon it while surfing the net..

Wrong..... I don't think the sickos doing that would be sto stupid as to just pop stuff ont he net for everyone to see. From what I have read in papers and seen in various documentaries on the topic is that this stuff is done very much in secret and only those that know where to look get access to, and find those sites. If they just posted that crap on the net they'd be arrested and found very fast..

I'm all for getting rid of this kind of stuff, but just leave the other stuff alone.

[Skydiver]

I do think that the internet has to be controlled since it is out of control there is no reason that 80% of the net is porn. And sites for violence and terrorism there no reason for them to be there.
How to define what to remove that is difficult.

defne porn

bare boobs?

so are breast cancer or breast feeding sites porn? they all deal with boobs

or perhaps sites that deal with mens' health

violence?

What's violent? guns? Knives? so if i'm a gun collector my site can be removed since guns can be used for violence?

what about a cutlery site? Ginsu Knives are violent?

what about whips?

so rodeo riders can't go online to buy the tools of their trade?

terrorism?

what is terrorism?

if you live in china, not liking the government is terrorism. If you live in iraq, being of the opposing religion to the current group in power is terrorism. If you lived in Bosnia a few years ago, belonging to the wrong ethnic group was terrorism.

(extreme examples i know, but these decisions can be taken to the extreme in a heart beat)

as to who would decide, yeah, that's the rub. because people don't tend to make decisions based on the greater good or social responsibility. they tend to make decisions based on what they get out of it. who pays them, who pays to convince them to do things 'their way'

start censoring and we wil all be at the mercy of the sentiments and preferences of one small group of people.

Never a good thing. because the smaller the group the more easily it is corrupted

[pinielf]

There was a news article here on the internet that is were I got that 80% is porn.
Howe to define is always the problem. There are terrorist gropes that every one recognizes like al-qida and Hamas….. They shoaled be removed.
I say porn is nudity for no good reason. That is the best I can define it.

And as I said if u don’t censor it u have information that should not be there like support for terrorism or kid porn and so on.