Monday, September 03, 2007 Regulation of Internet shops pushed By Jane Cadalig
INTERNET shops in Benguet would soon be required to set up mechanisms to control the contents that could be accessed by their costumers, especially the youth.
The move is being proposed to protect minors in the province from pornography and other forms of exploitation.
Citing the need to keep children away from exploitation and violence brought about by their surfing the Internet, Benguet Board Members Juan Nazarro Jr. and Florence Tingbaoen proposed an ordinance regulating the use of and access of the Internet from computer shops in the province.
The proponents claimed the advent of the Internet carries risks, especially to children, which include exposure to extreme violence and harmful materials through online gaming and by the downloading of photos and videos.
Under the proposal, operators of Internet cafes shall be required to install filtering software that would restrain users from accessing pornographic and other exploitive websites.
To monitor the websites that are accessed by their customers, owners of Internet cafes would be asked to maintain open cubicles for their computer units.
A minor would also be prohibited from accessing Internet services during regular school hours unless they could present permissions by school authorities, parent or guardian.
