[WEB4LIB] Re: Blocking web-based chat

[Charles P. Hobbs]

On Wed, 24 Nov 1999, Christopher Jackson wrote:

> 
> 
> On Wed, 24 Nov 1999, Drew, Bill wrote:
> 
> > Before calling blocking of chat sites censorship, check on the definition of
> > censor:
> > 
> > "to examine in order to suppress or delete anything considered
> > objectionable"
> 
> How can using a blacklist of mail/chat URL's to deny access not be
> considered censorship?  You've decided to offer access to the World Wide
> Web, but then deny access to certain "examined" addresses because their
> functionality is considered objectionable.  That's censorship.  It may be
> justifiable. It may be laudable.  It's still censorship.

Maybe it's something like "good" and "bad" cholesterol. Blocking a porno
site because someone thinks porno is wrong is bad. Blocking a chat site
because you don't want all the terminals tied up with kids sitting next to
each other and chatting  through the net to each other . . .

:-)