Exam      

Question 1.

The following quoted text is taken from a legal document of the U.S. Supreme Court, No 96-511, JANET RENO, ATTORNEY GENERAL OF THE UNITED STATES, et al., APPELLANTS v. AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION et al. on appeal from the United States district court for the eastern district of Pennsylvania [June 26, 1997]

            In sum, the District Court found:

            "Even if credit card verification or adult password verification were implemented, the Government presented no testimony as to how such     systems could ensure that the user of the password or credit card is in fact over 18. The burdens imposed by credit card verification  and adult password verification systems make them effectively unavailable to a substantial number of Internet content providers." (Finding 107).

Given this finding, provide your viewpoints:

    According to the material attached to Question 1, we know that adult web sites is impossible to guarantee the ages of visitors are over 18 by only implementing "credit card number inputting" and "adult password verification". Then the solution of the problem is quite simple to me: Either we ask the adult websites to give more complex verification method to prevent children from visiting or simply that we just prohibit the existence of adult web sites at all.

    However, under current capitalism social system, prohibition of adult websites is unrealistic. Just see how many strip bars are located in St. Catherine street? They are all "legal" business by Canadian law. How can we possibly eliminated adult websites without sweeping out these pornographic shows?

    Then the only solution is to limit the access of porno web sites by more effective verification methods. In my view, it is surely feasible if we are satisfied with the possible result that in most cases, children are unable to penetrate complex verification methods implemented by website providers. For example, I still remembered very clearly that the first computer game I played over ten years ago. The name of the game is called "Leisure Suit---Lost in Las Vegas" which simulated the adventure in Las Vegas full of casinos, bars, violent crimes, porno stuffs etc. At the beginning of the game, the program needs player to take a series of test to prove the age of the player exceeds 18.  If failed, the game ends itself. The quiz is pretty difficult for kids who have no enough social experiences and knowledge. So, I think it is a pretty good way to prevent unqualified players from playing the game. So can be done with adult websites! I only want to use this example to show that there IS possible way to limit children's access to these websites. Of course, many people are smarter and more professional to think out better solutions for verifications.  But the only problem is whether they would like to do it?!

    I highly doubt that both adult website providers and our government want this verification systems to be done! They are money-chasers and would do anything to make more money. If they implement this kind of complicated verification systems, there would definitely less customers for them which means less profit for business and less tax for government. So they won't do it. It is all decided by their nature of capitalism which cannot be changed.

    In view of the series of actions of United States government, we can see very clearly that this government is only the servant of capitalists of monopoly corporations. The Untied States government wages new war against Iraq is in fact to promote sales of arm dealers and weapon manufacturers. The United State's government encourages internet development is to increase profit of monopoly capitalists of hi-tech companies. If pornographic business can bring more profit to capitalists, the government will allow it even if is harmful to people, to children. The what is the point for us to talk about prevention of internet access to adult websites from our children when it is against the interest of capitalists?! It is totally meaningless and pointless! This is my view.

Question 2.

(This question is too boring and I don't want to show you.)

Question 3.

    It has been said that "Internet is like fire. If you don't control it, it will burn you." Please show 4 different reasons that will support this statement.

    It is said that every tool human invented is like a double-blade knife which can do good thing and also can do bad ones. So does internet if regarding it as a tool.

    I don't want to talk more about the advantages of internet such as easy-access, low-cost, fast-updating etc. I only want to stress that these good points of internet may be used by bad intentions.

    A.  As it is cheap, easy to use, more and more crime organizations use internet to communicate, such as a notorious so-called "Buddhism Organization"---"FaLunGong" originated from China, which  collects huge money from innocent followers of whom many died by killing themselves under spiritual control of this organization. I often see this organization using internet as a communication and propaganda tool. It is intolerable to see these malicious gangsters damaging our society by taking advantage of internet----the treasure of human.

    B. As people can use internet anonymously, it is free for people to give their view without worrying to be found out their privacy. But it also give many people opportunity to give out irresponsible words. It is easy for you to notice those scribble words on BBS which are given by various users. They can write anything and don't worry to be caught. So it is out of order in this cyber world. Secret information maybe leaked out which may damage security of country, false slanders are spread with malicious purposes. Rumors run all over internet!

    C. As it is out of control in internet, everybody can set up a website and give out whatever information he likes, pornographic websites are just too many to sweep out. Our children are induced to see what they should not. And our government can do nothing about it because internet is a "free" world. In this world, no authority, no order, no law, everything is possible and everything has no limit. It is  totally  a chaos in this cyber-world.

    D. Email has changed the view of letters for many of us. It goes so fast, so convenient, so plentiful of information that traditional mailed letters are regarded dead by many pioneers. However, as we more and more dependant on our email, garbage mails flooded in our mail boxes, viruses slipped in through attachments. We are forced to receive whatever we don't want to.  Even our privacies are exposed by virus by sending out information in our computers. It is said that email has become the most popular transportation method for all bad-intentioned information and viruses. We are  living in a endangered world by putting our communication through emails. 

    All in one sentence, internet has become more and more dangerous if we don't set up efficient control system.