> What may be is the new proposal by UK ISPs that they will escape
> legislation about porn on the net by adopting a voluntary scheme (i.e.
> coercing it on their customers). Under this, all web pages will have to
> have a `rating', something akin to a cinema rating (Al-Hackem's will be
> XXX for sure!).
>
> To get this, your web pages will have to be submitted to an agency in
> America that claims IPR over this crazy idea, and in return for a fee
> they will issue the page with an official mark. The mark will
> intially be protected by trademark law (the bit string you need to
> include contains their trademark) and later by digital signatures.
>
> The idea is that future versions of Microsoft's and Netscape's
> browsers won't show pages without the authorised mark. Using it,
> parents can control what their kiddies see.
>
> Of course this would be the end for interactively generated web pages
> such as altavista, and the reaction from industry is `we won't use
> it' (CEO of banking software house with whom I discussed this
> yesterday evening). So hopefully it will all go away; it seems
> ludicrous that one American company might become the sphincter
> through which all the web authors in the world must wriggle. But if a
> panicky government were to legislate for it in the run-up to the
> election, then it could be the show stopper you fear
>
> Ross
Along those lines, I had the experience recently of using the internet
in Singapore. Before I was alowed to touch the hardware I was handed
a copy of the Singapore Broadcasting Act and told to read it and then
sign a document stating I had read it. The act contained referneces
to political parties and expressly forbad me to use the net for
prostitution or gambling. The link was then made to a government
approved proxy server within Singapore which somewhat confused the
way I usually use the mail programs. Eventually it all worked but
detracted somewhat from the admirable efficiency of that country.
Stephen Crawshaw.
______________________________________________
Stephen Crawshaw
Townsville Qld
Australia
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