Now If We Just Banned Usenet, Everything Would Be Great…

Overhype

from the are-these-people-serious? dept

While there’s been lots of talk recently about how various politicians are suddenly worried about file sharing networks because there’s porn available on them, most people who have actually used the internet respond by pointing out that there’s much more porn elsewhere on the internet, with Usenet being near the top of the list. Apparently, someone from the “Alliance for a Safer Internet” just discovered this fact and has decided that it’s all the fault of Cox, a cable broadband provider, who they’ve warned that they’ve contacted the appropriate authorities. While, it seems likely that Cox’s legal representatives aren’t shaking in their boots over this revelation, perhaps this group would be better off just waiting, as providers like AOL have already decided that there’s no reason to keep offering Usenet access. So, will this group be going after Google next for offering Usenet access to everyone (no matter who your ISP is)? Either way, when will someone explain to these groups that (1) going after one particular internet tool isn’t going to have much of an impact and (2) that ISPs really have no control over what content goes over their network?