Tuesday, April 24, 2007

MIT sophomore David Sheets spent last Sunday figuring out exactly what's verboten on Boston's nascent WiFi network. Among his findings: you can't access the site for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency, but cock rings are fair game.

A day earlier, someone else had noted that Boing Boing was also blocked, leading to speculation that City Hall was exacting revenge for the site's mockery of L'Affaire Mooninite. In fact, the problem seems to be some crappy censorware software.

As Sheets notes, this looks like a free-speech issue:

This censorship is completely unacceptable and, although I am not a lawyer, I believe it constitutes illegal government control of speech or the press. I find it absolutely despicable that public funds are being used to provide this crippled service in the shadow of one of our nation's greatest landmarks representing our common ideals of liberty and justice.

He adds this:

I think the government of the city of Boston should be applauded for researching and implementing free public wi-fi. I feel that universal, unfettered access to the internet is crucial if Boston as a city and America as a country are to remain scientific and technological powerhouses. I also do not condemn filtering outright. While I feel that information should be uncensored to the greatest extent possible, I do understand that concessions may need to be made for access to extreme sexual content, child pornography, or media involving violence or death in public places or on publically funded networks.

I've called the mayor's office for comment; you'll find it here if and when I get it.

4/24/2007 2:13:13 PM by Adam Reilly | Comments [1] |