Sunday, February 26, 2012

10 Types of Websites I Wish Were Illegal

This isn’t so much about issues of free speech as it is about the aesthetics of the online world, although some of the subject matter does appear to cross even legal lines. Some of the sites that I wish were stricken from the internet include those where serious legal issues have arisen, while others merely have the capability of annoying people to death.

Here are a few of the things I’m talking about, some petty, others literally life and death.

  1. Pop-Ups – Anything that gets in the way of what I’m doing is immediately suspect. If I don’t automatically win the big prize I’m not interested in whatever else they are selling. The issue is compounded when the site makes you hunt for a way to close it.
  2. Ghosts – There oughta be a law against “deceased” sites still showing up on a Google search.
  3. Toddlers and Tiaras – “Toddlers and Tiaras” is a “reality” television series about little-kid beauty pageants, complete with contrived “rivalries”, and it has spawned an entire industry’s worth of bad blogging and reportage. In this case, banning the television show might be the answer.
  4. Too Thin – Anorexia isn’t against the law, but websites that promote anorexia (pro-Ana sites) may need to be banned, and there is pending legislation in some European countries to shut down those sites.
  5. Suicide – Many victims of suicide visited sites that may have encouraged them to end their lives rather than to seek other forms of help. This issue is a lot bigger than some insensitive or annoying websites, and has serious social ramifications.
  6. What’s the Law? – Sites may tout themselves as operating legally, and people flock to use the site, only to find out later that what they were doing was wrong. This comes up with a lot of file-sharing sites, particularly where copyright infringement may be involved.
  7. Loophole Porn – There are many sites which find ways to skirt anti-pornography statutes, and these loopholes need to be closed. Children across the country and around the world are being exploited and victimized every day.
  8. Sugar – Teachers may want to see erased any site which promotes ingestion of sugar and/or caffeine. Anecdotal evidence is good enough for teachers who seem to spend their day prying children off the ceilings after they’ve been addled by an overdose of “Sugary Choco-laden Sugar Cubes. . .now fortified with Vitamin D”.
  9. “Celebrity” Sites – A-list, B-list, C-list, Z-list, it doesn’t matter. I couldn’t care less about what goes on in the lives of so-called “celebrities” who are no more than a bunch of spoiled kids with too much money and time on their hands.
  10. Filtering – Anyone who has been a “boss” often wishes that any website that doesn’t pertain to work could be banned. There are filtering programs, such as Barracuda, that are often installed on school networks, and these programs can “ban” sites and categories, although students and teachers are often able to find easy ways around the filtering programs.

These choices aren’t all about the laws of the land; some are more concerned with what should be some laws regarding good taste.

Taken From Internet Provider

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