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[Giagnocavo]Michael::Write()

 Saturday, January 29, 2005
Guatemala now wants to filter the Internet

Apparently some congressman in Guatemala found that the Internet has porn. And that kids can use the Internet. Why this took him X number of years to figure out is beyond me. At any rate, the Congress is apparently discussing requireing all Internet cafes to install filtering software. They claim that 90% of kids looking for content to do with their homework run into porn. They're more gullible than I thought! “Hey! What's that stuff on your screen junior?!” “Ahh um.. it just came up! I was just trying to find out how to calculate the surface of a vortex, honest!”

The congressman says this will stop them from “losing youth”. Perhaps getting a decent education system in place, killing all funds to the military (who they gonna invade?) and getting their police force back in line might help more. [As a side note, the police here are given 5 gallons of gas per 24 hours of patrolling. And they have to pay for their own bullets.]

These are the same people who just recently voted themselves a substantial salary increase as “some of us have to travel to the capital city to do our jobs”. And believe it or not, this is the GOOD party that was running.

At any rate, I sure hope this law doesn't pass. Not because I think kids have some kind of right to go look at naked hotties, goats and sheep, or whatever, but because this kind of law is an implementation nightmare, and just leads the way for more government intervention. When a private establishment is required to do something like this, especially from a group of people who have absolutely zero technical skills, it is a receipe for disaster.

Oh, one more thing, if they're really that concerned about this kind of stuff, why don't they outlaw prostitution as a first step? (Not like that's anything that should be illegal, but hey, while we're on the subject...) Oh wait, no, that'd piss off a lot of people. Let's screw with the Internet instead.

Sigh... why is it that the Dilbert principal applies to government and not just corporations?

Guatemala
Saturday, January 29, 2005 5:50:44 AM UTC  #    Comments [4]  |  Trackback

Monday, January 31, 2005 4:48:45 AM UTC
As someone that searches for Porn - I think i've only come across it 'accidentally' maybe 15 times - tops.

If I tried that "It just popped up" bit - my non computer grandmother or mother would have seen right through it. Show me an adolescent boy that NEVER searched for porn and I'll show you the Easter bunny.

The internet scares the crap out of politicians - b/c no matter how fast they try to regulate it - it maneuvers right around them.

I'll give you $1,000.00 for every politician in the Western Hemisphere that truly understand the internet's infrastructure (Al Gore, Inventor of the Internet doesn't count b/c he's not currently an elected official) and how absurd it is to try to regulate this stuff.....
Monday, January 31, 2005 11:14:04 PM UTC
So umm, who is gonna pay for all this internet filtering software? The goverment? shure... I doubt that any of the internet cafe owners will, and people will find a way aroud it, guaranteed. this law seems to me to be designed to increase the piracy of filtering software, and thats about all it will accomplish (if even that)
Monday, January 31, 2005 11:20:58 PM UTC
Yea, but what's worse? Naked girls or piracy? :)
Wednesday, May 04, 2005 4:39:40 AM UTC
Hi ;
I just read your article. I think the same way, about how our goverment handle this kind of situations.
And yes policeman have to pay for their own bullets (they use to shoot for almost no reason when bullets where free). I just hope some do anything at least to improve this country .

Luis.
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