Re: V-chip?

[tcmay@got.net (Timothy C. May)]

At 4:33 AM 1/25/96, Mike Duvos wrote:

>As I understand it, the basic concept behind the V-Chip is to
>allow selective blocking of material a particular viewer might
>find offensive based on content information transmitted along
>with the program.  As long as the program material itself is
>transmitted unaltered, and there are multiple non-governmental
>providers of content descriptions catering to the spectrum of
>human likes and dislikes, this sounds like ideal Cypherpunk
>technology.
>
>Concerned Parent can set the V-Chip to read from the Children's
>Television Workshop content service, available for a small
>monthly fee, and be certain that graphic violence and sex are
>pixelated on screen, and that bleep words that the child might
>practice in front of Grandma are garbled.
>
>Mr. Islamic Fanatic can filter out all blasphemy against Allah
>and his one and only prophet, pork commercials, and women showing

The V-chip described heretofore is considerably less nuanced than this,
having only a few states (roughly corresponding to MPAA movie ratings). No
switch settings to block Democrat programs, or Feminist programs, or Mormon
programs. Just your basic "indecency," with "violence" as lagniappe.

And most Cypherpunks would tend to reject it because it is not voluntary
(unless you think "so don't buy a television" is a viable voluntary
choice). It will add to the cost of t.v.s and VCRs, and possibly interfere
with the computer-based options to come.

And it's easily defeatable. For one thing, most households have multiple
t.v.s or VCRs, any one of which without the V-chip will defeat the system.
Also, it is likely that the households "most in need" of this chip--using
the logic about unattended children watching violent programs while their
parents are away--will be the least likely to buy the brand-new sets and
VCRs that have this chip. (I would guess that most families will have
existing sets and VCRs for at least the next decade or more.)



>What are the dangers of this new technology?
>
>First, the government might want only one description of content,
>which it controls.  My notion of what is offensive probably
>differs greatly from that of Jesse Helms, for instance.

This is mostly the case.

My objection to ratings systems imposed by government is a general one. If
video and music is to be rated, why not articles and Usenet posts? The
principle is the same.

Anyone telling me I have to rate my work, or submit it to a ratings agency,
is aggressing against me. Now, if others rate my work (which is already
happening with digest services such as "CP-Lite"), this is their business,
not mine. But the V-Chip precedent is a precedent for the government to
insist that all sorts of content be rated. This should be fought in a free
society.

--Tim May

Boycott espionage-enabled software!
We got computers, we're tapping phone lines, we know that that ain't allowed.
---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:----
Timothy C. May              | Crypto Anarchy: encryption, digital money,
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