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'Dangers of the Internet' Resolution Passed By Senate
destinyland writes "Apparently June is national 'Internet is Dangerous' month. The U.S. Senate unanimously passed a resolution urging Americans to 'learn more about the dangers of the Internet.' And what counts as a danger? Disabling censorware, or making friends online if you ever plan to meet them in real life. Its extreme negativity is disappointing. But remember — it passed unanimously. From the tech blorge article: 'It's not just a resolution. A few corporations are actually trying to cash in on this misguided disinformation campaign, including BSafe Online, a Tennessee company which markets a PC filtering software. (I wonder if it's one of the ones that can be disabled by 31% of America's teenagers...) Their CEO has an encouraging message for parents about safety on the internet. "This is a battle they must fight everyday with their children in order to keep pornographers, sexual predators and cyber-bullies at bay." And keeping those pornographers and sexual predators away will cost you a mere $70 a year...'"
Had any of them voted against this resolution, it would have immediately been held up as proof that they loved pedophiles and hated America - and a substantial portion of the electorate would have bought it hook, line, and sinker (just like this resolution). C'mon, you think I'm trolling, but you know I'm right.
There is a large market for products that make bad parents think that they are doing a good job at parenting.
If you have something that you dont want anyone to know, maybe you shouldnt be doing it in the first place -Eric Schmidt
The "Three Rules of the Internet"
... some dude. ... some dude ... an FBI agent
1) Every guy is
2) Everyone claiming to be a woman is
3) Everyone claiming to be a small child is
How about we counter with a positive campaign highlighting everything good about the net.
In no particular order
1) Information at the tip of your fingers. From rare medical problems to gossip about soap stars it's all at your fingertips
2) Positive for the economy.
3) Broadens your horizons
4) Meet and connect with people you'd never otherwise be able to
5) Develop your writing and arguing skills
6) Find people with common intests
7) Scientific collaboration and data transfer on a scale never before possible
8) Avoid queues by taking advantage of electronic payment
The net is great. If idiots want to scare monger, sane people should counter.
These posts express my own personal views, not those of my employer
and if this is what they're doing in Washington while Iraq burns it's time for the revolution.
The internet is a dangerous place. But most people I've met don't realize that the internet is adult space and children shouldn't be allowed to play there without adult supervision and involvement. I've talked to so many parents who want to do something about it but don't understand it.
We raised a teenage daughter through the uncensored, budding internet. My wife and I were on her like hawks. Same rules apply to the internet as other facets of life like don't talk to strangers, don't tell people where you live, don't play in the same places as criminals, etc. I tell all those parents that their children have no privacy as long as you are responsible for their actions and you don't have to understand all that they are doing, but you can get involved and watch them. Imagine that! Supervising your kids and getting involved. I know it's a revolutionary concept but some parents do it.
The biggest problem is education. This is a common theme with new technology or other new social issues. I, for one, would like spend some time conducting free education seminars at places like the public library to take some of the mystery out of the internet and computers in general for people. Congress is comprised of people who don't know anything about the computers, computer security or the internet and they are pandering to voters who are largely comprised of the same thinking people.
The way to beat this downward spiral is education and enlightenment. We, as the more knowledgeable members of the internet community, need to do everything we can to help communicate, educate and reach out. This is a call to arms!
So as long as we aren't stepping up to the plate or doing enough about the situation, we will continue to be frustrated by these issues.
The process of enlightenment is painful. Don't expect it to come easily. It's going to take hard work and diligence.
Fresh horses and more whiskey for my men.
If you coddle children too much, then they won't grow up at all. I don't want to live in a society where 'run to authority' is the solution to any form of mildly antisocial behaviour any more than I want to live in one where vigilante action is the response to any criminal act.
I am TheRaven on Soylent News
10 PRINT "You are a good parent."
20 GOTO 10
What d'ya reckon?
Deleted
Resolved, That the Senate--
(1) designates June 2007 as `National Internet Safety Month';
(2) recognizes that National Internet Safety Month provides the citizens of the United States with an opportunity to learn more about--
(A) the dangers of the Internet; and
(B) the importance of being safe and responsible online;
(3) commends and recognizes national and community organizations for--
(A) promoting awareness of the dangers of the Internet; and
(B) providing information and training that develops critical thinking and decision-making skills that are needed to use the Internet safely; and
(4) calls on Internet safety organizations, law enforcement, educators, community leaders, parents, and volunteers to increase their efforts to raise the level of awareness for the need for online safety in the United States.
Yes, it's rather pointless, but it's not a "Da intertubez strangled my granddaughter" resolution, either. There's nothing terribly alarming going on this time.
The simplest solutions are the easiest to understand. Take a complex problem and start giving your average human being the thousands of variables involved, and explain to them the weight and statistical significance of each of those variables, and they will not be able or willing to try to understand. Even worse, they will more than likely label you as a freak. Give them a simple hard-nosed emotional solution, and they get an immediate neuro-chemical response, their adrenalin rises; it is like a cocaine rush, it is positive reenforcement. Politicians understand this, and they exploit this. They understand this not through the study of psychology, they understand this intuitively.
Unfortunately there are no educational pre-requesites for being a politician. There are only economic pre-requisites. No IQ test necessary. It is an inherent fault of the democratic system, as it is structured at the present time.
Because it would be impossible for the people who pass laws to 'completely understand' every single thing they legislate about.
Here is part 85.6 of the Code of Federal Regulations. It concerns itself with the Interstate movement of pseudorabies vaccinate swine, except swine from qualified negative gene-altered vaccinated herds, not known to be infected with or exposed to pseudorabies. It has 500 words or so and it is the 6th part of a 13 part section specifically about Pseudorabies, all of which is a small part of subchapter that makes up Title 9, which is specifically about Animals and Animal Products and has somewhere around 70 of the previously described parts organized into something like 15 subchapters.
And these are just the Federal regs for animal related adventures. States, municipalities, and whatever else we've organized ourselves into also have regs about animals and animal products. We have a lot of seats to fill in the governmental machine and I doubt we're going to find enough animal experts who will show up on the right day to go over all this stuff.
The idea that legislators or judges or whomever should be experts, or even more familiar than the average person, with a subject in front of them is just not viable. Turn on CSPAN. See if you can watch that crap for 8 hours a day or however long legislative sessions last, and pay attention the whole time. The only reason I can imagine a human being voluntarily subjecting themselves to a lifetime of that would be because they see an opportunity to rob us all blind in the process. And people like that really aren't motivated to understand what a routing table is unless there is a pot of gold at the end of the routing table rainbow and they can't figure another way to get hold of it.
There is a tremendous amount of money to be made by making people afraid. The internet is just one of the many angles on that and we've hired the best professionals money can buy to legislate that fear into existence.
"Sacrifice for the good of The State" - The State
Why does the mere mention of the internet as a "dangerous place" stir up so much angst from the slashdot crowd? News flash! From having their computer hijacked for a bot-net, their credit card info stolen, or their child lured into a real life meeting with a sexual predator, the internet IS a dangerous place. When entering (or connecting to) it, people should be cautious, aware, and on their guard.
So what, you're faulting parents for even making the attempt to keep their children safe while surfing the net? Does parental vigilance somehow threaten you?
My oldest is currently headed into 2nd grade this fall. He already uses the computer a great deal for homework, and it is sometimes (oftentimes) challenging to safeguard him on the internet from things that are simply inappropriate for a 7 YEAR OLD. Personally I welcome any help I can get in this battle. We keep our computer in the living room so we can keep an eye on what he is looking at. Can we 100% monitor what he is looking at? No, we have other children who sometimes fall or require attention or simply need a diaper change. Sometimes the phone rings and you have to pick it up. Things happen to distract you. Would I consider BSafe as a solo solution for guarding him? Absolutely not. But it may play a part in our overall solution.
I guess what I fail to understand is why slashdotters are so reactionary to such stories. I would think as advocates of "freedom" everyone here would be all for services such as BSafe, because the choices here are to either protect your child to a reasonable level, or to simply pull the plug and declare that my children cannot use the internet because the risks are to prevalent.
Personally I would prefer to allow my children as much freedom as possible, and services that help me protect my children, while not perfect, certainly help me to do that.