Licence networking sites to prevent internet ‘nasties’

‘AS we know from Ashleigh’s story, the way that social networking sites are set up means that anyone can register as a member, under any name, any address and any identity.

A move which would go some way to combating this would be for the Government to licence social networking sites, and regulate them.

This could be achieved, and could be self-financing, if a membership carried a joining fee and annual subscription.

To join (or renew), members would have to provide credit card details, which would have to be authenticated.

By doing this, nearly all members would be traceable.

The proceeds from the membership fee, which would only need to be very modest, could finance the licensing/ regulation scheme and perhaps make a contribution to the cost of internet safety education.

I’m sure people would not mind paying a modest amount to continue their membership, especially if they know that their money is making a contribution to keeping users safe.

Those social networking site providers who decline to register could be blocked by the Internet Service.

This whole business is about users taking responsibility and internet service providers being accountable for the services they provide.

The internet has grown so quickly since its conception and birth only 16 years ago.

It has grown with no centralised governance in either technological implementation or policies for access and usage.

There is no doubt that the internet can be valuable and provides access to infinite learning resources.

A system of responsible regulation would inspire confidence in reticent users and protect those who are most vulnerable.

It would only take a fraction of the resources that internet service providers put into developing and extending services diverting into forensic activity to protect the vulnerable and prevent the other internet ‘nasties’ that many of us have miserably experienced.