I came across an interesting article regarding the ongoing battle between Internet freedom and controlling online piracy. The London Times article entitled: An uncreative soultion to online piracy offers a fair view of the issue - before siding with the freedom side.
I highlight this article for several reasons. I have received several letters and article comments which point out many legitimate fears associated with new government controls regarding online conduct. In the same way that the majority distrust government regarding health care issues and the active debate on health insurance reform, many Christians distrust government regarding their monitoring of Internet activity. This fear has recently been expressed with headlines such as Bill would give President emergency control of Internet. I fully understand and respect these fears.
There is also quite a bit of work being done globally to stop government censorship of the Internet in countries like China. There are many valid reasons to fight for Internet freedoms, and we certainly can't legislate morality.
And yet .... to the "Internet freedom" crowd, I ask this question: what role should government have online? (Almost) everyone wants to stop child predators online, curtail plagiarism, reduce spam and help users be safe online, but is the government's role simply to provide web training and not enforce laws? I suspect we will be debating this question for decades to come.
I tried to articulate a middle ground during a recent interview with The High Calling.
"Think of the Internet as our new digital superhighway system. We have many freedoms on our roads, but we also have many laws. There are numerous parallels between roads and the Internet, including the need for good training, ensuring safety, and accepted codes of conduct.
At work, you must remember that the network belongs to your business. Courts have upheld that there is generally no presumption of privacy on company networks, and you must abide by acceptable use policies, as long as policies are clear and equally enforced. So remember, there are no "personal" messages at work—according to the law.
I also agree that controls alone will never solve our problems. There are thousands of ways to get around filters and controls, and we cannot rely on technology (or governments) alone to solve online problems. Solutions must address people, heart issues, repeatable processes, and technology."
Finally, Christians may rightly fear too much government intervention or too many external controls, but we need to take personal responsibility for our actions. Are you a part of the problem or the solution? That is, do you steal by copying music illegally? Are you truthful online? Do you have a separate Internet identity that would harm your family or career if the details were made public?
I'd love to hear your thoughts on this topic of Internet freedoms. It is easy to sign up and leave comments.