Yarro, Anti-Porn Crusaders Want More ICANN Clout > Sure you can filter porn to certain ports.....

Sure you can filter porn to certain ports.....

Well, suppose we had either or both of these rules. The first, obvious question is who determines which sites are in which category?

Presumably this so-called "Cybersafety Constituency" would like themselves placed in charge of classifying sites as "pornography" or not. ("safety"? There is actually no proof that pornography is harmful to minors or anyone.) And let's have you, moonpuppy appoint someone to classify sites as fundie/non-fundie. Then the next thing would be attempts to tax internet users to pay for all this classification effort. Soon after would be controversies over mis-classification.

Meanwhile software authors would immediately come up with a browser feature like "if it's not on port 80, try the porno port and the fundie port". Of course, others would soon want more categories (criticizing government, etc.). And who would prevent webmasters in every nation from disobeying the rules and putting everything on port 80?

The response would be an attempt to get ISPs to block the ports assigned to certain types of content. But millions of users would object. So a crucial, implicit part of the proposal would have to be legislation to force ISPs to censor the internet.

The list of severe problems with the whole idea goes on from there - my list is only the most egregious items.

BTW, most of the support for this is form letters put out by one organization in Utah - and it happens that Utah is the state with the highest pornography consumption in the USA.

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Edit: Moonpuppy, I didn't mean to imply that your proposal was serious, and in fact I agree with the sentiment. I was only using it as a start on pointing out the craziness of the idea.

Let's have the technical authorities just be in charge of keeping the internet working as well as possible from a technical point of view, and parents in charge of what their children do on the computer, and the two not step on each other's jurisdictions.

reply to moonpuppy
I'd support a port for porn. And a port for religion. And one for the gays. and one for conservatives. and one for liberals. and another one for people I don't like. and another one for short people. So, obviously, one for tall people too. How about one for whites? and one for blacks. and one for people who are more than 74% white but less than 99% white, like Halle Berry? Yeah, lets have a special port for them. oh, and we deff need a port for those creepy goths. And people who listen to metallica. How about a special port for all Brittney Spears news? lord know I'd block THAT port.