James its sounds like you should start a thread with that topic, would be more than happy to respond to you there.
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The Issue:
The Internet is renowned for its the ability to bring people together. Unfortunately, the power of the Internet isn't always used for good. Hate on
the Internet has continued to be a growing problem for individuals and governments alike. It's generally agreed that online hatred is something we
could all do without, but how to address the issue of hate on the Internet is something that remains up for debate.
The Controversy:
The problem with controlling hate on the Internet, particularly in the United States, has to do with free speech rights. While some camps would like
to regulate hatred on the Internet by shutting down hate sites and hate speech, free speech proponents argue that even hate speech is protected by
First Amendment.
Another point of contention is the idea of linking directly to hate sites in order to expose them to the pubic. One school of thought argues that only
by exposing these sites to the public can we hope to diffuse their effectiveness. The opposite side of the coin contends that linking directly to
these sites only allows easier access for those who are seeking them out.
Action Steps:
Internet service providers have long utilized their power to eliminate hate sites online by instituting "no hate site" policies in their terms of
agreement, thereby affording them the right to shut down any sites they deem hateful in nature. But governmental efforts to the same end remain
tricky.
In June 2000, German Justice Minister Herta Daeubler-Gmelin called for international rules to fight hate speech on the Internet, calling for global
action to fight racism and xenophobia online. The Minister admitted that global regulation against hate speech is a long way off, and indeed, little
has been done since then to legislatively regulate this kind of behavior online.
However, private companies have taken additional steps to help curb hate on the Internet. By refusing to sell racist products, many private sites are
taking the lead in the battle against online hate.
But, the availability of Nazi-related items on Yahoo's auction site in 2000 again called into question the global issue of hate online. Yahoo was
taken to court by the French government, which prohibits the sale of anything that incites racism in that country. At the conclusion of the case,
Yahoo ceased to allow the sale of the items on their site, saying, "it does not want to profit from items that glorified or promote hatred."
Learn More:
The Simon Wiesenthal Center, one of the largest international Jewish human rights organizations in the world, is also one of the best resources for
tracking online hatred and what is being done about it. The center, which adheres to the 'expose it' school of thought when it comes to Internet
hate sites, has released "Digital Hate 2002," a CD-ROM which exposes more than 200 hate sites on the Internet.
According to Rabbi Abraham Cooper, associate dean of the center, "The Wiesenthal Center monitors the use and abuse of the Internet by terrorists,
racists, antisemites, and Holocaust deniers who continually push the envelope of technology to promote an agenda of hatred. Hate 2002 exposes some of
the most insidious tactics used to reach and influence an expanding online population, especially young people. These tactics include identity theft,
manipulation, online hate games and mass marketing of hate music."
See Link:
www.wiesenthal.com...
PS: Oh and James whatever, if you do decide to start a thread send me a link.
[Edited on 25-11-2002 by Toltec]