The iPhone vision of the mobile internet’s future omits controversy, sex, and freedom, but includes strict limits on who can know what and who can say what. It’s a sterile Disneyfied walled garden surrounded by sharp-toothed lawyers
I'm a big proponent of open platforms and freedom of information, but the thing that Tim hates Apple for is also a useful tool for parents -- it provides a practical way to protect their children. When we hear the word "censorship," we often think of an oppressive government, but part of parenting is responsible censorship to limit a young child's access to pornography, obscene language, and violence.
The Internet lacks a mechanism (like zoning laws or movie ratings) for parents to easily filter content, but the closed nature of Apple's devices and app store make this possible on a small scale. It would be great if this problem could be solved on a grander scale (in a way that doesn't require the closed garden approach), but today, the Internet puts the world's best library next door to the red light district.
It's hard for me to imagine an open system that can effectively control access to such a huge amount of content. Our existing real-world systems (the MPAA, zoning boards, the bouncer who checks IDs at the bar) require some central authority and don't seem like they could handle the scale. The closest thing that I've seen is OpenDNS, but it is still too hard to effectively filter out the bad without also losing some of the good -- plus it requires a technical know-how that many parents don't have.
Are their any examples of systems that can self-regulate access without a central authority?
