Internet Anarchy

[Steezie]

The Internet is the largest accumulation of knowleage and services in the history of humanity. Part of what makes this vast wealth of information possible is anarchy. Anyboddy with five minnutes of training and a basic computer education can post anything on the internet without any sort of qualifications or liscense (This covers both legal and illegal material on the web).

This great conflux of data is possible because anyone in the world can add to it and have billions of people interract with it at the same time. Controls on the Internet are few and poorly enforced. The Internet is it's own society, it's own country, and it takes a police force to regulate a country.

Thus far, the duty of policing the internet has fallen to individual governments and agencies. But even in countries that can afford this luxury and that care enough to enforce the laws, the line between legal and illegal is not exactly clear.

This great void of law has led to outcries from sectors of the public for regulation. Some sort of controls beyond the bare minimum that exist now. Censorship and regulation.

But can this vast buffet of information exist if there is regulation, can we only have this kind of freedom if there is no regulation, no censorship, and no controls? History has shown where there is power, there is abuse of power. Then the question of resources comes in to play. How would we fund this new police force, who would get the final say, where does thier jurisdiction end and the real police's begin? Is it even worth the cost?

I dont think it is. Truly free information cannot exist if there are people in control.

 

[kopilo]

*shurgs* Things rarely come free these days, if you are after academically credible information, then there are resources which have this but at a cost, normally has to do with cash.

As for communication, the Internet generally is still cheaper then a phone call and cheaper then snail mail. It's close to becoming if it is not already, as free as beer.

 

[Nithavela]

I think you got the word "free" wrong here.

Not free in a monetary term but in a "do as you please" term.

I think that there should be no regulations over the internet as long as there are no real world crimes involved, like black mail or child pornography. The internet has its own police, just like every forum has its own regulations enforced by the moderators. I see no need for a government to interfere.

 

[redmartian89]

Free societies need free information. "Free" of course meaning without regulation or controls. I see the Internet as a tool to help free up the non-free parts of the world.

 

[chaz345]

The Internet is the largest accumulation of knowleage and services in the history of humanity. Part of what makes this vast wealth of information possible is anarchy. Anyboddy with five minnutes of training and a basic computer education can post anything on the internet without any sort of qualifications or liscense (This covers both legal and illegal material on the web).

This great conflux of data is possible because anyone in the world can add to it and have billions of people interract with it at the same time. Controls on the Internet are few and poorly enforced. The Internet is it's own society, it's own country, and it takes a police force to regulate a country.

Thus far, the duty of policing the internet has fallen to individual governments and agencies. But even in countries that can afford this luxury and that care enough to enforce the laws, the line between legal and illegal is not exactly clear.

This great void of law has led to outcries from sectors of the public for regulation. Some sort of controls beyond the bare minimum that exist now. Censorship and regulation.

But can this vast buffet of information exist if there is regulation, can we only have this kind of freedom if there is no regulation, no censorship, and no controls? History has shown where there is power, there is abuse of power. Then the question of resources comes in to play. How would we fund this new police force, who would get the final say, where does thier jurisdiction end and the real police's begin? Is it even worth the cost?

I dont think it is. Truly free information cannot exist if there are people in control.

Regulation on the content /production end would by nature kill the internet as we know it. We'd end up with people using regulatory power to advance things they agreed with while stifiling things they disagree with.


But I believe that regulation on the receiving end to be entirely appropriate. Content filters that work according to local community standards on child accessable computer in schools and public libraries for example. That way what one community deems to be harmful can be blocked by them and allowed by someone else who may feel that that material is fine.

 

[ExistencePrecedesEssence]

The Internet is the largest accumulation of knowleage and services in the history of humanity. Part of what makes this vast wealth of information possible is anarchy. Anyboddy with five minnutes of training and a basic computer education can post anything on the internet without any sort of qualifications or liscense (This covers both legal and illegal material on the web).

This great conflux of data is possible because anyone in the world can add to it and have billions of people interract with it at the same time. Controls on the Internet are few and poorly enforced. The Internet is it's own society, it's own country, and it takes a police force to regulate a country.

Thus far, the duty of policing the internet has fallen to individual governments and agencies. But even in countries that can afford this luxury and that care enough to enforce the laws, the line between legal and illegal is not exactly clear.

This great void of law has led to outcries from sectors of the public for regulation. Some sort of controls beyond the bare minimum that exist now. Censorship and regulation.

But can this vast buffet of information exist if there is regulation, can we only have this kind of freedom if there is no regulation, no censorship, and no controls? History has shown where there is power, there is abuse of power. Then the question of resources comes in to play. How would we fund this new police force, who would get the final say, where does thier jurisdiction end and the real police's begin? Is it even worth the cost?

I dont think it is. Truly free information cannot exist if there are people in control.

R.I.P. ancient library at Alexandria.