Live data from Hacker News

Lawmakers Want to Block Pornography at the Expense of Free Speech and Privacy

eff.org

11–20 of 65 posts

Re: Lawmakers Want to Block Pornography at the Expense of Free Speech and Privacy

#11
Device manufacturers would be forced to install "obscenity filters" on cell phones, tablets, computers, and any other Internet-connected devices.

I vaguely remember reading about a similar effort in China many years ago --- that failed silently.

Trying to tie this into "human trafficking" is a cruel diversion, just like pornography, terrorism, and drugs.

"Let's make the world safer" seems to be the common thread in all of these anti-freedom bills, with the implicit intent of branding those who are against them as supporters of human traffickers, pedophilia, terrorism, or whatever else.

There are two memorable quotes which will become very relevant in the near future:

"If you outlaw freedom, only outlaws will have freedom."

"Those who give up freedom for security deserve neither."

Re: Lawmakers Want to Block Pornography at the Expense of Free Speech and Privacy

#12
China already does this, and it works to a large extent. If you want to do it in a free society it's not too hard...

1. Enforce OSHA workplace safety law on all u.s. porn sets. 2. Enforce international trade rules against labor safety arbitrage, and or create new ones. 3. Enforce copyright law against tube sites that have made a mockery of d.m.c.a 4. Unionize all porn workers

Of course this will never happen... Porn is a symptom of the underlying I'll of our society.. where the accumulation of wealth and power are the only denominators of worth or virtue, then things like OSHA, labor rights, copyright law for small producers, and unions, are all seen as enemies of ,if not progress then the system itself.

If the u.s. loses a war to China because China infiltrated our computers with free porn, while they had mass censorship which prevented it, then American capitalism will have lost the Mandate of Heaven.

In other words... If porn destroys society, it might be a natural feedback loop, a self correcting mechanism whereby unrestrained , brutal greed is kept in check, by the society that glorifies it the most , collapsing in on itself.

I did not think of this myself. A young porn star aka victim made a documentary a few year back, about the disgraced CMU professor who began the true mass industrialization of porn. She called it "McDonald's for sex" or something like that. The point is that you can't apply Harvard business school brutalistic to every human process and expect a positive result.

Re: Lawmakers Want to Block Pornography at the Expense of Free Speech and Privacy

#16

Surely this just isn't even practical, even if it does pass... if the filter has to be installed on the end user device it will be widely known how to bypass it. Why do people even write these rediculous things (the bills in question).

That was a serious question. Why write a bill like this? Who gains from it?

Re: Lawmakers Want to Block Pornography at the Expense of Free Speech and Privacy

#17
It bears repeating (perhaps incessantly, given that this kind of proposal keeps popping up) that "obscenity filters" have a long and ugly track record of blocking material about reproductive health, gender studies, and LGBT rights/culture. There used to be a handful of websites that cataloged these incidents back in the '90s, but I don't know if anyone's still doing it. Just punch something like 'Websense LGBT' into your favorite search engine if you have any doubt.

Re: Lawmakers Want to Block Pornography at the Expense of Free Speech and Privacy

#18

Device manufacturers would be forced to install "obscenity filters" on cell phones, tablets, computers, and any other Internet-connected devices. I vaguely remember reading about a similar effort in China many years ago --- that failed silently. Trying to tie this into "human trafficking" is a cruel diversion, just like pornography, terrorism, and drugs. "Let's make the world safer" seems to be the common thread in a…

> "If you outlaw freedom, only outlaws will have freedom."

Couldn't help but think of Malcolm Reynolds and his group from the Firefly series, given that I was re-watching it last night.

Re: Lawmakers Want to Block Pornography at the Expense of Free Speech and Privacy

#19

Surely this just isn't even practical, even if it does pass... if the filter has to be installed on the end user device it will be widely known how to bypass it. Why do people even write these rediculous things (the bills in question).

Just to legitimise it in public perception is still a big win for wannabe tyrants. That's a good first step upon which they can incrementally build on and tighten the screws, just like the anti-piracy groups have done. So it's not at all ridiculous. It's devious, and a cunning attempt to gauge how apathetic the public are to their own freedoms.

Re: Lawmakers Want to Block Pornography at the Expense of Free Speech and Privacy

#20

> Those filters could only be removed if consumers pay a $20 fee. Wait, what? Why should a fee to opt out exist?

That almost makes me wonder if this is being pushed by someone with a financial interest in the outcome.
Post reply on HN