Sara Matthews

The Internet should be free of charge.

Access to the internet should be completely free of charge, given that the user has the necessary hardware (the computer) to connect. Many of our daily activities involve the internet, therefore users should not be charged for accessing it. The initial connection to the internet should be free, and if privately owned websites wish to charge their users then they can do so on their own accord. This is the only fair route since everybody uses the internet for different reasons. Also, the speed of access can be upgraded for a flat-rate charge to the user.


Creative work posted on the Internet should be under the same copyright umbrella as traditionally published creative materials.

The web is basically an open forum for people to share information with each other. Music, movies, and art are posted on the internet for people to view and enjoy in their own time and comfort, rather than physically going somewhere else to view/experience these things. The internet is not a place to illegally use someone else’s work. Therefore, the internet should protect artists and musicians under the same guidelines that they are protected by outside the web.


The Internet should not be censored.

This principle has its support through our constitutional right of freedom of speech. Under this amendment anything can be posted by anyone – regardless of whether it is authentic or appropriate. Hate speech, child pornography, and slander will not be monitored or removed. Even though people have the right to say whatever they would like, they also have the right to choose not to read something if they think it will upset them.


Hate speech on the Internet should be restricted.

Hate speech should be restricted because of the unforeseen harm that it can cause. Although some may argue that restricting hate speech is a violation of our rights, it is still justifiable because it is more so a measure of protection than a renunciation of our right to free speech. In order for this principle to by adopted and followed, we must clarify what exactly counts as hate speech. Is writing a negative blog-post about a girl that you don’t get along with on the same level as writing a blog-post about your anti-Semitic feelings? These guidelines must be determined before this principle is effective.


Children under the age of 18 should not be allowed to create a social networking account.

This restriction needs to be enforced because children are naïve to the possible dangers of the internet. Social networking sites are common outlets for internet predators, and children are easy prey. Not only are social networking sites dangerous, but they were also originally created for older adults to keep in touch and network with former friends. Children under the age of 18 need to build strong human to human relationships with other children through school, sports, and clubs – not through a keyboard and monitor.


Businesses/companies should not access potential employees' blogs and/or social networking page.

This principle should be adopted in order to protect a potential employee from discrimination by a business/company. Companies should focus on the potential employee’s performance during interviews and quality of resumes rather than what types of hobbies and music the person enjoys. If a hiring manager wanted to view an employee’s social networking profile, then he should do so on his own time and not let it influence his opinion of the potential employee.


Privacy settings, company regulations and other information regarding email ought to be simple and easily accessible for users.

This principle will protect both the employee and the company. Companies must teach their employees about privacy settings and inform them of what they have access to. This information needs to be easily accessible so that there is no confusion between the employee and the company. Effective privacy settings for a company computer is extremely important because employees have access to sensitive information, therefore they could be prey for a hacker.


Sites that allow users to find the location of others without their consent should be eliminated.

Once again, this principle is aimed at maintaining a person’s privacy. Map-finder websites should only be operable if they have the consent of the person who is being searched. Having access to a person’s residence is not only dangerous, but it is also unnecessary. If a person needs to find the home of someone else, then they should have direct contact with that person, not through a sketchy map-finding website.


All forum and chat room-based websites must require users to provide valid registration information.

This principle will help to reduce chat-room anonymity, and it will make users responsible for their words and actions on forum/chat websites. This principle should reduce the amount of rumors, gossip, and hate speech that currently flows freely through these websites. Possible forms of valid registration information would be name, birth-date, address, and a driver’s license number. Once this information is approved, then the person can make posts to the chat room or forum. However, this information will not be displayed to other users on the website.


Retailers should require some form of a digital signature to help decrease credit card fraud.

People can cause a lot of damage to someone’s finances through a lost or stolen credit card. The internet is one of the easiest places to illegally use someone else’s credit card. Since no face-to-face contact is made during online purchases, credit card fraud runs rampant. Retail websites need to require some other proof that the credit card information matches the actual buyer before they approve the transaction. A possible idea is having the buyer supply the last four digits of their social security number or even their birth-date.


Similar to television censoring, sexually explicit websites should only be accessible after a certain hour.

Sexually explicit material on the web needs to be censored more than it currently is. A way of doing this would be to only allow these websites to be accessible after a certain time – say ten o’clock at night. This would also protect children because theoretically, children would not be awake a ten at night. This is the same concept that many television networks follow. They will wait until after primetime TV is over to play their mature adult-oriented shows.


Society should not become one with the computer.

Face-to- face contact needs to remain the most important tool for building strong relationships with one another. When people begin to rely too heavily on the internet, they begin to lose some of their inherent social skills. If people start to lose their ability to communicate with each other, then we can not live harmoniously as one. Plus, not everyone is fortunate enough to own their own computer. How would those people interact with others if everyone became ‘one with the computer’ ?