Should we regulate the internet?

MegamanBoo

There's a lot in the news these days about disinformation online, foreign agents etc. Tbh that's not the biggest thing that worries me about the internet. I'm fairly liberal in my outlooks and for the most part I really don't care too much what adults get up in their private lives.

What concerns me big time, is the amount of harmful content available to children. Kids have committed suicide due to being bullied online, being exposed to unrealistic expectations, and the exposure they suffer to hardcore pornography (which seems to be widespread and from very young ages.)

There's been years of promises from the big tech companies that they'll self regulate. It hasn't happened by now and it's not going to. Even if they did, I think the idea of an open internet just doesn't work. For adults, yes, for children no.

People will say it's 'up to the parents' but there's only so much parents can do, and let's face it, a lot of parents won't bother.

I know it's next to impossible to control the internet. But I think what's quite possible, at state or EU level, is to make what's available to the general public suitably restricted, through licensing ISPs. There'll still be tech-heads who'll be able to access what they want, I'm not so bothered about that, but the harmful stuff won't be widely available to children.

routetoot

Nice try Helen

VinLieger

I think its hilariously naive to believe that if there's a way around any restrictions put in place that kids wont know about it and therefore actively use it.

billgibney

Who will do the regulation?

ednwireland

problem is one person's regulation is another's restriction or censorship. I'm sure the government would love to block loads of suff but should they no. because where is line when it becomes censorship or propaganda.

o1s1n

The internet is far more regulated today than it was 25 years ago when a lot of us here in Ireland started going online.

I used to use yahoo chat rooms for example and when you went into the user created room section, you'd see loads of paedophile themed chat rooms. It's crazy looking back, but it was like that for ages. Wasn't actually shut down by Yahoo until 2005:

https://www.cnet.com/culture/yahoo-shuts-pedophilia-themed-chat-rooms/

People now post away on facebook with their full name listed, so they're 100% traceable. Again, say that to me 25 years ago when I was using IRC and boards with an alias and I'd laugh telling you it would never happen.

Yes, there's a lot of adult content online. However this is down to parents paying a bit more attention to what their children are looking at. It's not up to the rest of us to fix this.

GerardKeating

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121861983#Comment_121861983

I blocked discord on my router, because i did not want my 12 year old on it, the fecker installed a VPN and continued to discord at his Leisure.

MegamanBoo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121862036#Comment_121862036

If your ISP blocked Discord it wouldn't matter what he did.

o1s1n

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121862043#Comment_121862043

That's a very niche thing to sign up to an ISP for.

MegamanBoo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121862050#Comment_121862050

Just to show it's possible. I'd propose a licensed range of IP addresses that ISP's could provide.

Adults who really want to I'm sure could find a way around it. But would keep the vast majority of kids away from the harmful stuff.

eightieschewbaccy

Regulating large organizations that serve a huge amount of the globes traffic is worth it. Just from a privacy and online safety perspective, the likes of Facebook and Twitter are not anyone's friend in terms of what they'll do with your data.

o1s1n

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121862060#Comment_121862060

Would the opposite not maybe work better? You log into your ISP's website and can type in a list of domains you want them to block on your connection to stop your kids accessing.

That way a parent plays a role in the process, it's completely catered to them and the rest of us can get on with enjoying our freedom of internet?

Overheal

It’s already regulated. What did you suppose the GPDR, COPPA, Digital Services Act, etc etc. are about

MegamanBoo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121862069#Comment_121862069

First off there's there's too many domains you'd have to block and new ones popping up all the time.

And if you did somehow manage to block all the harmful stuff, what about when kids are out with their friends, at neighbours, public places etc?

What about kids whose parents wouldn't know how or be bothered?

silliussoddius

I’m just as worried about the effects of the internet on adults as on children.

o1s1n

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121862087#Comment_121862087

All of this is akin to Helen Lovejoy shouting 'Won't someone please think of the children?'

VinLieger

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121862043#Comment_121862043

LOL you haven't a clue what you are talking about, my ISP blocks various torrent sites yet I still can get to them using a VPN, exactly like that other posters child.

MegamanBoo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121862093#Comment_121862093

It's a bit more than that.

Go talk to teachers or parents of kids being harmed online.

And there's this...

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2023/sep/13/adults-are-terrified-of-talking-to-us-about-it-10-things-i-learned-from-children-about-pornography

nachouser

Banning anyone under 18 from owning a smart phone would go a long way toward safeguarding kids from themselves.

VinLieger

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121862365#Comment_121862365

This thread is fvcking hilarious, alcohol and drugs are illegal for kids to purchase and hows that going?

MegamanBoo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121862097#Comment_121862097

I was giving a simplified example.

Your ISP could work on a whitelisting approach instead.

It would be like anything other than a .ie address couldn't be reached. Then you couldn't access worldwide VPN servers either.

I know a bit about network security and it's a pretty standard approach, albeit on a smaller scale.

MegamanBoo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121862439#Comment_121862439

I'd say it's more equivalent to broadcast licensing which is very effective.

nachouser

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121862439#Comment_121862439

All joking aside, I think it would be a good thing if kids under the age of 18 didn't have access to smart phones. Let them use a brick phone for calls, texting etc but nothing with a camera or access to whatsapp or anything they can use to potentially destroy their lives before they've even started living it.

Alcohol and drugs are much lower price points than buying a sim-free phone. Back in the day, I'd get my older brother to buy a few cans, would it be the same if I was asking my older brother to buy me a 150e or whatever smart phone, signing his name and knowing that he's on record of having bought it if I, eventually - cos I'm under 18 - wind up coming to harm from using the phone.

https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/munster/arid-41206609.html#:~:text=Every%20primary%20school%20in%20Waterford,growing%20concern%20about%20their%20impact.&text=Waterford%20is%20to%20be%20the,growing%20concern%20about%20their%20impact.

Edit: seems like some schools are trying to do it re smart phones.

Capt'n Midnight

This cartoon is pretty old. Nothing has changed.

Except the EU's Digital Services Act (DSA) which is rolling out strict age verification requirements on the biggest sites first was signed into law here last month.

https://enterprise.gov.ie/en/what-we-do/the-business-environment/digital-single-market/eu-digital-single-market-aspects/digital-services-act/digital-services-act.html

( artist https://jonikcartoons.blogspot.com )

VinLieger

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121862540#Comment_121862540

Firstly trying to change an entire countries internet access and treat is as though it were a single network that then whitelists ALL access is absurd. Also it stinks of authoritarianism.

Yes it works on company networks but the implementing such a change now at a national level for any country would be nigh impossible. Here's just one example off the top of my head for why this is absurd, how do AWS or other service data centers operate under such a system? are you going to ask them to update for every ip they pickup when they add or lose a customer? Obviously such a service couldn't be automated as it would be pretty easy to slip by a VPN ip so it not only would need human interaction to initially check the whitelist application but then constant checking that the ip hadn't been approved correctly but then sold on for a VPN to use. Do you comprehend how many people that would require to have anything work in close to a timely fashion?

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121862547#Comment_121862547

So make pay as you go phones illegal? Fine, but what happens when people buy multiple phones and simply sell them on as a lease to others? Ideas like this would work if its how we started out but you cant suddenly switch into such a restrictive system.

So far all your ideas are incredibly authoritarian and only really are seen in pretty severe dictatorships. Asking people to give up so much freedom just because "think of the children" wont really work.

Also they all rely on the fact that someone altruistic is in power, what happens if someone gets into power who has sinister goals and you have already systems in place that mean they have pretty much total control over the countries information systems and can control everything people can see or hear?

Like I said in my first post your ideas are naive.

Seth Brundle

Those who propose these "solutions" clearly have no idea of how the technology works and how it cannot be regulated or controlled. Its pretty naive to think otherwise.

jmayo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121862000#Comment_121862000

I am sure some of our mods will volunteer.

MegamanBoo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121862999#Comment_121862999

China does it so it's clearly possible.

jmayo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121863063#Comment_121863063

China can build a hospital in weeks.

China can build islands.

Our public sector (politicians included) would have difficulty runing a p***up in St James Gate.

Seth Brundle

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121863063#Comment_121863063

It is untrue to say that you cannot bypass the government controls in China if you wish to.