49% of Americans Say Net Should Be Regulated

kgun · #1 (**permalink**) 07-01-2008, 12:59 PM

Is anybody able to read that

WebmasterWorld Login.

WMW thread that required paid membership?

May be this

Rasmussen Reports™: The most comprehensive public opinion coverage ever provided for a presidential election.

is the source.

"Nearly half of Americans (49%) believe that the federal government should regulate the Internet the same way it does radio and television, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national survey.
Thirty-five percent (35%) disagree, and 16% are undecided.
Americans also believe overwhelmingly -- 73% yes to 13% no -- that it should be a crime to harass someone on the Internet".

Tech Manager · #2 (**permalink**) 07-01-2008, 01:05 PM

How about adding your opinion to the post?

kgun · #3 (**permalink**) 07-01-2008, 01:53 PM

My opinion is that

It should be free for all time under responsibility. You can be brought to court for what you write and do in the digital as in the real world.
There should be room for selfproclaimed "journalists" / bloggers and content writers that compete with big news providers. "Kleiner man was nun" (Little Man What Now). I have personally felt that as a professional economist writing in Norwegian news papers. Here we have three formal powers:
- The parliament.
- The government / (The King).
- The judge.
The press is called the 4. th power. In my opinion it may historically be called the "monetary power". It is my hope that that will not happen to the internet. I have no illusions.
Of course room for big and small business / institutions / organizations.

John Kitchling · #4 (**permalink**) 07-01-2008, 03:29 PM

The internet would be extremely difficult to regulate and many of the things that people complain about are illegal. If you harass somebody online, you're still guilty of the harassment, it doesn't make it legal because you're doing it on the internet.