Saturday, January 20, 2007 Talk back: Regulating Internet cafes By Rainier A. Belleza Jr.
IT is disheartening to note that our Cebu City Council has been stalling on its move to regulate the operation of Internet cafes (Sun.Star Cebu, Jan. 11, 2007, page A7).
The councilors disagree on the parameter of their proposed provisions.
In their preoccupation with the welfare of the youth, they seem to forget that Internet cafes are for everyone.
Internet cafes should be regulated not only for the benefit of the children but also for adults.
The City Council should simply focus on the following major concerns:
1. Strictly enforce the rule that no lewd website should be opened by anybody: warning should be posted on the wall.
2. Standardize the Internet cafes--–in arrangement of cubicles, ergonomics, space requirement, etc.
3. Disallow or ban violent computer games that are devoid of the right values and tend to influence the mind of the young in a negative way, like Counterstrike, Grand Theft Auto, Inc., etc.
4. Ensure proper decorum of computer users--–no loud conversation and boisterous acts, no toddlers allowed, respect for the rights of others, etc.
5. There should be no private/enclosed cubicles to avoid objectionable activities by Internet users.
6. There should be periodic surprise inspections of the City’s Management and Computer Services’ personnel in order to strictly enforce all approved provisions and penalize violators.
I would like to reiterate my point on the Council’s seeming apprehension about the exposure of minors to pornography.
I think such fear is unfounded since Internet cafes are public places and nobody in his right mind will deliberately log on to a lewd website in the presence of others, unless of course one is so shameless not to mind the heckling and ridicule that will ensue.
Our good Councilors should be more concerned instead with the continued proliferation of violent and senseless computer games that many minors are hooked on to.
