From: "E. ALLEN SMITH" <EALLENSMITH@ocelot.Rutgers.EDU>
Date: Fri, 10 May 1996 21:31:33 +0800
To: tcmay@got.net
Subject: Re: Mandatory Voluntary Self-Ratings
Message-ID: <01I4II05OT188Y5BAX@mbcl.rutgers.edu>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain


From:	IN%"tcmay@got.net"  8-MAY-1996 16:30:16.71

>Then we'll see what happens. (This is an old debate, here and on the
>Cyberia-l list, to wit, what happens when people/perverts/libertarians
>choose to subvert the voluntary ratings by deliberately mis-rating their
>stuff? Or what if they genuinely believe, a la NAMBLA, that youngsters
>should be exposed to certain things?)

	I don't agree with NAMBLA, BTW, in case anyone is wondering...

>I say it's a waste of our time to even be thinking or worrying about how to
>implement an infrastructure for ratings. In fact, building such an
>infrastructure could make later imposition of "mandatory voluntary ratings"
>(Orwell would be unsurprised) a greater likelihood.

	Quite. There's also the misuse of it by other countries to do
filtration (Chinese firewall et al). While this isn't an argument that having
it is something that shouldn't be permitted, it's a consideration that those
constructing some such system should keep in mind. I haven't seen any evidence
that either RCIS (sp?) or SafeSurf have done so.
	-Allen