Contributed Article
Published: May 8, 2008

It’s a bird. It’s a plane. No, it’s the Internet Age.
Faster than a speeding bullet, the Internet - and all that accompanied it - has changed the way people from all over the world get to know one another and form relationships.
Via chat rooms and social networking sites such as MySpace and Facebook, millions of online users, within minutes, expose themselves to fellow users, be it friend or foe.
Unlike the traditional superhero who manages to enter the scene just in time to foil the foe, society is less clear on how to handle the “bad guys” who use the Internet in harmful ways.
In other words, technology has outpaced any effort to control it. Regulation of content on the Internet is minimal. Freedom of speech is the main reason. But any right should be accompanied by a sense of responsibility. Consequences to those who do harm to other should be clear.
And parents, companies that run the Internet sites and users themselves should be held accountable for online behavior. Let’s face it. Pressures to regulate the Internet stem from a number of real dangers to national security, information security and personal reputation.
One major concern: advances in computer technology have expanded the access that sexual predators have to children. According to a 2007 report by the New York State Senate Task Force on Critical Choices, the increased use of computers to commit crimes is alarming.
So just who or what will “fly” in and save the day? The government?
Even if the government did choose to regulate, it would be a tall order. The problem with the Internet is that there is no single or clear source.
Regulating a medium as far-reaching and powerful as the Internet feels like a super-human task with no quick solution. But clear penalties should be established for those “villains” doing harm.
One step at a time