Self-regulation of the internet

From NewgonWiki
Revision as of 18:09, 23 September 2009 by The Admins (talk | contribs) (New page: In the western world, Internet Service Providers (ISPs) are encouraged by governments to '''self-regulate''', to stay in accordance with public morality and child protection st...)
(diff) ← Older revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)
Jump to navigation Jump to search

In the western world, Internet Service Providers (ISPs) are encouraged by governments to self-regulate, to stay in accordance with public morality and child protection standards. The presumed benefits of this strategy to governments are reduced policing costs and less opposition from civil liberties groups, as the undoubted control exerted is subtler in nature and therefore harder to trace or prove. For ISPs, the self-regulation system provides a degree of autonomy in exchange for what the government sees as cheaper, less overt moderation of the internet. Censorship borne of self regulation efforts often consists of a mandatory legal compliance filter (usually billed as an "anti child pornography filter, such as that operated by the Internet Watch Foundation) and optional filters (i.e. censorware) aimed at parents for individually tailored "family" and "child" protection. Whilst the former system has historically tended to eliminate more legal material from the on-line experience, and the latter is very easy to circumvent, ISPs are given numerous opportunities to "convince" both the government and the public as to the benefits of self regulation, as it is in the interests of both the state and the service providers themselves.

Compulsory Blacklist

These can be distinguished from state blacklists in that they are operated by officially independent bodies, but are still used to filter material from the services of ISPs who are members of the body. They often work alongside an Internet tipline type operation.

Optional ISP filtering

See also