So where do you draw the line?  I’m not sure we can.  I’m not sure we should.  I’m talking about government.  I hope that government stays away from the internet – let the market dictate what is and what isn’t offensive.

There are two extremes to consider:  1) Do we want to move in the direction of Iran?  Trash the first amendment and silence unpopular opinions and content?  I hope not.  2) Do we want our 13 year old daughter to open up MySpace or FaceBook and see a Pamela Anderson sex tape on display?  Well – we don’t want that either.

So what do we do?  What are the options?

First off – there isn’t a fix.  With the technology available and the amount of information roaming around the internet – there just simply isn’t a fix. There are some things we can do to help the situation:

1) We have child pornography laws in place – we should use those and prosecute violators to the fullest extent of the law – that’s an obvious step we should take.  No-brainer.

2) Those of you with kids – we should all suck up a big dose of parental responsibility and make sure we know what the kidos are doing when they are sitting in front of a monitor.  I know —- that sucks – but a little personal responsibility doesn’t hurt here.

3) The users of social media networks can really put a dent in offensive material by policing the content themselves.  You can spread notice very quickly if you know of someone posting material that might be considered obscene or offensive.  If no one looks at it or reads it — if there is no market — it disappears.

What are your thoughts on this sensitive topic?  We’re in the beginning stages of battling this out online and in the courts.  I personally would like to see a very minimal role played by government – we’re big boys and girls – we can take care of ourselves and our kids.

Thoughts?

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