Comments on: Filtering on Planes, or Why I Will Only Take Amtrak http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/infolaw/2008/09/16/filtering-on-planes-or-why-i-will-only-take-amtrak/ Information, Law, and the Law of Information Fri, 04 Dec 2009 09:00:46 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Molly http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/infolaw/2008/09/16/filtering-on-planes-or-why-i-will-only-take-amtrak/comment-page-1/#comment-65206 Molly Sat, 20 Sep 2008 18:37:54 +0000 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/infolaw/?p=420#comment-65206 I think you're right, it's probably less of an issue on planes, and the question of digital vs. print is an interesting one. I wonder - do airlines have policies in place allowing flight attendants to confiscate offensive print materials from passengers? Only if someone complains? How might that translate to the question of internet porn on planes? I would be very uncomfortable with airlines developing policies that allow them to confiscate people's laptops for looking at offensive material, because who gets to define offensive? There was that girl who almost got kicked off a plane not too long ago for being dressed "inappropriately" (I'm too lazy to go find the link), not to mention the inordinate amount of power that the TSA already wields over innocent travellers. The line between personal freedom (for laptop porn viewers) and personal comfort/safety (for everyone else) is going to be a tricky one to walk on this issue. I can see how the apparent quick-fix of filtering would be appealing. I think you’re right, it’s probably less of an issue on planes, and the question of digital vs. print is an interesting one. I wonder – do airlines have policies in place allowing flight attendants to confiscate offensive print materials from passengers? Only if someone complains? How might that translate to the question of internet porn on planes?

I would be very uncomfortable with airlines developing policies that allow them to confiscate people’s laptops for looking at offensive material, because who gets to define offensive? There was that girl who almost got kicked off a plane not too long ago for being dressed “inappropriately” (I’m too lazy to go find the link), not to mention the inordinate amount of power that the TSA already wields over innocent travellers. The line between personal freedom (for laptop porn viewers) and personal comfort/safety (for everyone else) is going to be a tricky one to walk on this issue. I can see how the apparent quick-fix of filtering would be appealing.

]]> By: Derek Bambauer http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/infolaw/2008/09/16/filtering-on-planes-or-why-i-will-only-take-amtrak/comment-page-1/#comment-65048 Derek Bambauer Fri, 19 Sep 2008 14:20:28 +0000 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/infolaw/?p=420#comment-65048 Hi Molly - this is a great point. I hadn't considered this. Frankly, that's a really creepy prospect. My hope might be that there is enough diversity on the average airline flight that there would be widespread disapprobation of someone looking at dirty stuff - it would remove the onus from the librarian / person seated next to the offender to carry the weight of policing social norms. Exhibitionism strikes me as a tough problem. Is it likely to be worse, in the airline context, than use of tangible porn? Is there any likelihood that the higher cost of entry to get on a plane, rather than into a library, might deter some of the creeps? Hi Molly – this is a great point. I hadn’t considered this. Frankly, that’s a really creepy prospect. My hope might be that there is enough diversity on the average airline flight that there would be widespread disapprobation of someone looking at dirty stuff – it would remove the onus from the librarian / person seated next to the offender to carry the weight of policing social norms.

Exhibitionism strikes me as a tough problem. Is it likely to be worse, in the airline context, than use of tangible porn? Is there any likelihood that the higher cost of entry to get on a plane, rather than into a library, might deter some of the creeps?

]]> By: Molly http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/infolaw/2008/09/16/filtering-on-planes-or-why-i-will-only-take-amtrak/comment-page-1/#comment-64910 Molly Thu, 18 Sep 2008 15:25:42 +0000 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/infolaw/?p=420#comment-64910 I agree with you that filtering on airplanes is a dumb idea. But your idea for public shaming isn't a good fix either. As any librarian can tell you, many of the people (usually men) who chose to view explicit material in a public place do so in part because they enjoy forcing others (usually women) to see it. The regularity with which patrons visit the reference desk to complain of computer problems, only to lead a librarian over a computer that is clearly having no problems displaying some porn site, suggests to me that female flight attendants are right to be concerned. Filtering is probably not the answer, but you can bet that social norms won't do the trick. I agree with you that filtering on airplanes is a dumb idea. But your idea for public shaming isn’t a good fix either. As any librarian can tell you, many of the people (usually men) who chose to view explicit material in a public place do so in part because they enjoy forcing others (usually women) to see it. The regularity with which patrons visit the reference desk to complain of computer problems, only to lead a librarian over a computer that is clearly having no problems displaying some porn site, suggests to me that female flight attendants are right to be concerned. Filtering is probably not the answer, but you can bet that social norms won’t do the trick.

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