Senator pushes for expansion of "V-chip" video censorship technology
By Conrad Quilty-Harper 
posted Aug 4th 2007 1:01PM
posted Aug 4th 2007 1:01PM
The Democratic Senator for Arkansas -- Mark Pryor is his name -- wants to expand on the "V-chip" video content blocking program, and create a tracking system that could enable parents to censor content on platforms including TV, DVD, and the internet. A new bill proposed by Senator Pryor calls for the FCC to look into ways of blocking "indecent and objectionable programming, as determined by the parent" on basically all platforms capable of displaying images. As always, the devil is in the details: how exactly the FCC is going to figure out a method for precisely tracking obscenities on a "platform blind" basis remains to be seen, and the issue of classification of content is always sure to cause controversy. What politicos like Pryor always seem to miss is the fact that parental filters are already in place, albeit in messy meatspace form.
i dont have a major issue with this, im all for it, i just hate it when gove and other groups mpaa, and esrb(games rating board) comes down on films like horror films and games like manhunt, (same goes for the game console companies, nintendo, sony mircosoft)
we have the vchip now, yet parents and groups such as the ptc always make useless BS arguments about the violence and sex on tv and games etc... i think more needs to be done to explain the vchip maybe a fact letter in the mail. news networks, some sorta tv specials for public and private schools to be shown to parents and teachers. a more national and local level ad campain. everything to show that ya parents can censor their childrens viewing habbits.
even though real responsible parents don't need such devices to help them raise their children. since any responsible parent would teach kids right and wrong, whats real and whats not...etc, as well as limit the amount of tv in the house and put the kids into other activities such and youth groups and stuff.
but back to this expanded v chip, i say in aditing to the censoring, a more advanced tracking system needs to be in place, how about all the viewing habbits of the people in the house? also online habbits and offline pc habbits can be tracked to another computer , at home or work. or on the same computer via an admin user and pass, which would also require finger print.
i do feel the gov does not need to censor tv for the masses, even broadcast tv, all censor ship should be lifted on digital and hd broadcasts (not analog)
and the gov can require features to be implemented by tv manufactures and cable/sat companies. in order to help the stupid parents of this world.
Sorry for the typos. I know i have a few as well as a few grammar errors. I just typed it really fast, and didn't pay attention.
The idea of v-chipping the internet is beyond laughable. Kind of like v-chipping clouds to prevent unwanted cloud images. IF you really want to isolate offensive and/or safe content on the internet, support the .xxx and .kids domains.
I really can't support any government means to do this, I just don't see how they can legally control this sort of discourse. As it is, I think the legality of the FCC limiting what can be put on the radio and TV is a bit tenuous, though some groups are trying to push the same rules to subscription services.
Even the xxx and kids TLDs are of questionable merit. The porn people don't want to be forced over to xxx and many of the "family" organizations think it legitimizes porn. I hate to say it, but the .kids TLD would probably create an explosive litigation liability.
Leader of the free world? Not really possible if you don't have a free society in the first place.