Aram Squalls

Panic! at the Internets

My friend Alice just published a great article in FirstMonday (an online peer-reviewed academic journal) about the persistence of moral panic over the sexual vulnerability of kids and teens online -- from the great cyberporn panic of 1996 to the tizzy in a teapot over MySpace predators today.

The article's especially timely, given the recent news that Verizon, Sprint and TWC will now be monitoring the bits they carry, and blocking users' access to newsgroups that have been identified as child porn destinations.

Now, I'm against child pornography in all forms, but I hardly think an ineffective witch hunt (honestly, how many microseconds will it take for the pervs to create a viable workaround?) is sufficient justification to destroy the legislatively-enforced protection that ISPs have against culpability for the actions of their users, and to further erode what little privacy we have left in this country.

What's next -- the telcos being held responsible for monitoring the content of our private phone conversations? Oh, wait a second...

From Alice's article:

Thus, I conclude that the furor over MySpace is disproportionate to the amount of harm produced by the site. Indeed, the furor over online predators seems also to be disproportionate. Rather than focusing on nebulous “predators,” it seems that parents, teachers, and social workers should emphasize identifying and preventing abuse in specific, local community settings.

Word to the mothaf*cka, Alice!

The man who would have been president

Al Gore was interviewed on NPR's Fresh Air yesterday. I have to say, even 8 years after the Great Debacle, I'm still weeping. Somewhere less than a Planck's-length away, there's a parallel universe where he's been in office for two terms, and I'll bet everyone there is having a much better time.

At any rate, I thought it was interesting that, apropros of a question regarding environmental policy and the climate crisis, Gore invoked Internet regulatory policy (such as 'net neutrality and open standards, though he didn't use the terms) as fundamental to the democratic process, and therefore as imperative tools in combating the global crisis. Wish I had a direct quote, but NPR doesn't post transcripts for some reason.

I know, it's wonky, but you've got to love a guy who can see effective communications policy as a vital element of human survival. Also, just for the record, he was warm, thoughtful and well-spoken. When he slipped into a Southern-y drawl while discussing his dad, it seemed like a genuinely unconscious shift, not the kind of hamfisted put-on we're used to. I dunno, maybe it's for the best he's been able to speak honestly from the sidelines, rather than being shackled to a party line in the White House.

Well worth a listen. Here's the link.

senate to telcos: please spy on americans

the senate just voted, 67 to 31, to reject the dodd-feingold amendment (S. AMDR. 3907) that would have allowed us to sue the phone companies and other communication service providers for spying on us illegally. they also voted down other amendments sponsored by feinstein and specter aiming to preserve some degree of civil liberties.

just for the record, both hillary and barack were co-sponsors of the dodd-feingold amendment. the official vote tally hasn't been posted yet, but clearly there was bipartisan support for this lurch toward american fascism.

fortunately, the house of representatives version of the bill doesn't provide immunity, so there's still a chance for us.

another dark day for democracy, all in the guise of "security." didn't i see this movie already?