BILL TO FIGHT INTERNET PORN WOULD GIVE C.R.T.C. MORE POWERS

NDP MP Chris Axworthy introduced a bill last month to combat internet child pornography. His proposal expands the powers of the CRTC by making it the regulator for all internet service providers. Various pro-family forces are looking seriously at ways of keeping internet pornography away from children. The CRTC, however, which is hardly pro-family, has not been identified as the regulator of choice.  The broadcasting regulator is known for its opposition to organized religion, and its lack of action in curbing offensive material in the broadcasting sector. Pro-family organizations in the US have already began to raise concerns about censorship mechanisms being used to restrict people’s access to their messages along with pornographic and other offensive material. The American Family Association was recently targeted by CyberPatrol (the most popular filtering software) for “hate speech” directed towards homosexuals. Giving CRTC regulatory power over the internet could lead to similar problems here.  A fresh initiative for combatting pornography on the internet which does not require government regulation, but, according to Patrick Poole (head of Coalition for Constitutional Liberties, a US privacy watchdog group, who made the proposal), includes incentives for pornographers fearful that public backlash may well lead to a severe regulatory environnment can be found at:  https://capo.org/opeds/pp0709.htm   It may not be the best solution available, but pro-family groups, wanting to contribute to the accelerating debate over internet content may well want to propose constructive solutions that do not include an expansion of the powers of the CRTC.