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To regulate or not to regulate
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- David Ellis, founder of Voyager Information Networks
The law is unnecessary and unworkable, a threat to a medium that has thus far served the public extremely well.
-Robert A. Sirico, Forbes Magazine (July 29, 1996)
I believe that US should not regulate the internet due to its unique nature. The Communications Decency Act signed by President Clinton in February 1996, was an unsuccessful attempt by the US government to regulate the internet. The CDA criminalizes "indeceny" on the internet. "Indecency" refers to "speech depicting or describing sexual or excretory acts of of organs in a patently offensive fashion under contemporary community standards." This definition brought up problems due to its vagueness and ambiguity. It is unclear what is considered "indecent." Another interesting point is the referral to "contemporary community standards." How can we define community standards. Who is included in this definition? Based on the vague definition of "indecency" in the CDA, conversational speech is prohibited as well as some medical discussions and art work. Not only does the CDA violate the First Amendment, the global nature and rapid rate of growth pose problems for US regulation. Read through my links and uncover the truth why the US should not regulate the internet.
| GLOBAL NATURE, | RAPID GROWTH | CONVERSATIONAL SPEECH | CREDITS | TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK |