IP: News Corp. decries Net's moral fiber, wants new laws

[Dave Farber <dave@farber.net>]

I wonder if he has watched his own stuff djf

------ Forwarded Message
From: Declan McCullagh <declan@well.com>



http://news.com.com/2100-1023-954651.html

    Media chief decries Net's moral fiber
    By Declan McCullagh
    August 21, 2002, 6:13 AM PT

    ASPEN, Colo.--The president of media giant News Corp. warns that the
    Internet has become a "moral-free zone," with the medium's future
    threatened by pornography, spam and rampant piracy.

    Speaking Tuesday at an annual conference organized by the Progress &
    Freedom Foundation, Peter Chernin decried the "enormous amount" of
    worthless content online. He also predicted that without new laws to
    stave off illicit copying, News Corp.'s vast library of movies may
    never be made available in digital form.

    "The vast potential of broadband has so far benefited nobody as
    clearly as it's benefited downloaders of pornography and pirates of
    digital content," Chernin told an audience of about 200. News Corp.
    owns 20th Century Fox and Fox Television.

    [...]

    In an interview after his speech, Chernin threw News Corp.'s support
    behind three controversial bills. The company backs a plan by Sen.
    Fritz Hollings, D-S.C., to implant copy-protection technology in
    software and hardware devices, as well as a bill introduced last month
    by Rep. Howard Berman, D-Calif., that would authorize copyright
    holders to hack into and disrupt peer-to-peer networks.

    [...]



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