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2/21/96, MRVN3@aol.com, Nanuet, NY USA
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Democracy on the Internet

by Katherine Heller

     I can't remember a time when I didn't have a computer.   [Image]
     As a small child, my favorite games were Qbert, Zaxxon,
     and Adventure. What I do remember is the day I visited a local
     observatory four years ago. Someone sat down at one of the
     observatory's computers and, within a few key strokes, full-color
     pictures of outerspace appeared on their screen, straight from
     NASA! I was amazed! I never dreamed a computer could do such a
     thing! I soon learned this was accomplished using something
     called Gopher, and so went my introduction to the internet. Since
     then, the capabilities and potential of computers and the
     internet have not ceased to amaze me.

     Now, at the age of 17, computers and the internet play a large
     and important role in my life, and in the lives of others around
     me. A great hope of mine is that their role will continue to grow
     and that they will eventually link all people and all available
     information. Unfortunately, there are many barriers to overcome
     before this can be accomplished. One barrier is people who prefer
     to limit access to information through computers and the
     internet, rather than expand it.

     The people who run the computers at my high school are an example
     of this. Although the school owns a fairly large amount of
     software, a student is generally allowed access to only six or
     seven programs. Gaining access to more programs by finding a way
     into DOS or Windows is virtually considered a crime. As a result
     my school's 30 IBM Pentiums are used mainly for touch typing.
     When I have asked why access is so limited, I have been told that
     it must be this way to evade computer viruses and keep students
     from destroying the system. Naturally, I've asked how they
     intended to keep enforcing their limited access policy when they
     eventually have to allow students internet access. They just
     smile and say "We'll see", giving the situation hardly any
     consideration. This is a big problem because one of the easiest
     ways to make the internet widely available is through the school
     system, and the internet could be a school's best resource.

     The internet has the potential to be one of the most significant
     developments in the history of communications, maybe even as
     great as the printing press. I believe the government is
     currently threatening its ability to reach its full potential.
     The Telecommunications Bill is an example of this. While I
     approve of many parts of this bill, other parts are very vague
     and threaten the rights and freedoms of honest people. For
     example, I hope entire libraries will become available on the
     internet. The Telecom Bill makes this illegal because of books
     like Catcher In the Rye, which contain foul language. So are we
     forced to have physical libraries for "inappropriate" books,
     when,eventually, all the rest are only kept on the internet? Or
     maybe someone will erase the inappropriate words and write "beep"
     in their places. The bill also attacks information on STDs and
     abortion. Since the internet will become the best and easiest way
     to get information, people may easily become uninformed on these
     issues. We may no longer be able to get a picture of our favorite
     piece of artwork or the lyrics to our favorite song. It is
     pathetic! Using the internet is not like watching television and
     therfore should not be treated the same way television is. The
     internet is interactive. Talking to someone over a computer is
     hardly different from talking to them on the street, yet they are
     treated differently. As the internet grows the access people have
     to information may become increasingly limited. The
     Telecommunications Bill, as it is, threatens our freedom of
     speech and freedom of information (which our founding fathers,
     unfortunately, left out of the bill of rights), and therefore
     threatens the foundations on which this Democratic society
     stands.

     Decisions regarding the internet, made today, will affect the
     lives of people for years to come. The internet can become one of
     humanity's greatest resources or one of humanity's greatest
     failures. I hope I have the opportunity to help build one of
     humanity's greatest resources.

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