China does it. The European Union is trying to do it, and there are increasing concerns that the U.S. government might one day try to do it. "It" is regulating, and possibly censoring the Internet. So far, lawmakers have been reluctant to replace the flexible, market-driven success story with a system of intrusive regulation, but the House is now considering a bill that would make it illegal to access networking sites such as MySpace.com from a school or library. The website, which has been linked to alleged instances of adult sexual predators trolling for naïve minors, has caused concern among legislators who are rushing to what could be a very slippery slope.
For the sake of argument, what if Congress managed to shut down MySpace.com? What would be next and when would the censorship or wave of more and more regulations ever end? Can you imagine a political party in power deciding that blogs supporting the other sides' positions merited closer scrutiny?
If you've never considered the possibility that the federal government might one day tell you what websites you could access, what files you could download, and even what software packages you could install on your computer, it might be time to take a look at "Hands Off the Internet," a site representing a coalition of Internet users who have taken a proactive stance on maintaining "Net Neutrality." Their logo of "Say NO to Government Regulation of the Internet" is complimented with pages of links to articles which further address the subject, a news section, two form letters to contact your legislators to voice your concerns about possible government interference of the Internet, and a chance to sign-up for site updates and further legislative movement as it develops.
Stop by handsoff.org while Congress is preoccupied with illegal immigrants. Who knows what's next on their agenda?
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