Responsible Net Commerce

Copyright — Who Owns Content on the Internet?
Censorship — Who's Protecting Who?

Protect Your Image on the Internet

There is more than simply "hanging out your shingle" to having a presence on the Web. You need to be sure that you are conveying the right message and that you are not taking shortcuts that will hurt your business's reputation.

This page is aimed primarily at those building websites and running blogs, but the information is pertinent to most of us.

Avoid Spam

You don't want to become identified as a spammer — someone that sends out unsolicited email messages.

Anyone offering to “target market” addresses for you is offering to spam others on your behalf. The consequences can be severe. Current legislation in California can find you liable for thousands of dollars in damages if even one of your spam emails is sent to a location within California (or any other location with similar legislation).

Learn more about how to avoid being the victim or perpetrator of spam or phishing attacks. (Note: these resources have moved to their own pages.)

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Don't Steal Information

Freely Available but Not Free

The Internet has become a huge repository of information and it is important to understand that much of that information is freely available, but is not free.

Copyright is Automatic

Copyright is the legal term used to convey ownership. In Canada, copyright is automatically awarded to your body of creative work at the time of creation.

Protect Your Creative Work

If you are creating works you might want to belong to a creator's organization like the Canadian Authors Association to learn more about copyright and other important issues.

Copyright and the Internet

The Internet, just like other mediums, depends upon copyright protection to ensure that content is safe. No matter how noble the intention, the Internet should never be separated from other jurisdictions in terms of copyright protection.

The Education System is Not Exempt

One major violator of this premise is the educational system. Special interest groups have proposed that we should exempt the education system from having to respect copyright, particularly when it comes to information on the Internet. Essentially, they are proposing legalized theft.

Their argument "that it is in our children's best interest" doesn't hold water. If that were true, why don't they propose to not pay teachers, janitors or other suppliers to our schools as well? Perhaps they place no value in the effort it takes to create intellectual property?

Copyright is Ownership

Copyright in its simplest terms is ownership. All text and images you find on the Internet were created by someone and the copyright is retained by the owner unless there are express indications that either the text or the images or both are public domain. It is usually best to assume that copyright exists unless you are sure that it does not.

If you wish to share your own content, using a system such as Creative Commons, that is your prerogative. However, before you include other people's content on your site, be sure of their willingness to share that information (it will be clearly indicated on their site) and that the content is theirs to give away.

If a search for the text or image shows up on a copyrighted site, don't use the content without the creator's written permission.

Imagine someone cashing your pay-cheque without your permission. That is how copyright violation feels to the person whose copyrighted information is used without permission or payment.

Obtaining More Information

These sites will give you a greater understanding of the issues and implications of copyright and copyright reform.

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Censorship Issues

Protecting Children v. Censorship

The U.S. Communications Decency Act and other legislation with the stated purpose of "protecting children" is censorship. That is not to say that you have to approve of the material that this legislation claims to be removing. How can you trust anyone but yourself to judge what is appropriate for yourself and your children?

Tools to Protect Children

SafeSurf is a rating system that makes the Internet safe for your children without censorship. My site was originally rated by SafeSurf but although they are still safe for children, I have since removed the coding.

Misuse of Censorship

It is not unusual to want to restrict the use of information that you deem inappropriate. This can take the form of opposing points of view, political or religious views and sexual orientation just to name a few.

Who's Watching the Watchers?

The problem comes when you try to decide who's view is going to be available and who make the decision about what is acceptable. In some cases this is purely a matter of law. In others, the definitions are either so vague as to be meaningless or the interpretations have allowed leeway that may never have been intended.

One measurement is what is "acceptable in the community." This is (or can be) subjective and may not be an accurate tool. Some groups are more vocal than others and some have more influence than their actual numbers may indicate.

The ITC Threat

There are many countries that already restrict your access to their citizens and want to have even more control. Some governments attempted to do this at a series of closed-door meetings of the ITC (an obscure United Nations agency that develops voluntary standards for international phone networks and communications satellites) held in December 2012 in Dubai.

The Internet Society, a non-profit organization, was one of the few representatives at the World Conference on International Telecommunications not tied to a national government. Google asked people to pledge to support a free and open Internet.

What Does this Mean to Me?

You are going to be affected by this issue if you have content on your site that may embarrass or be inconvenient to others. The Internet is a pretty wide-open arena and, like radio signals, doesn't stop at a border because the rules change.

What's Legal

In most cases you're going to have to legally be accountable for the laws and general practices within the jurisdiction where your site is hosted as well as where you are doing business. Your site should have a terms of use that clearly states this jurisdiction to avoid the expense of having to defend yourself in another community or another country.

Get Legal Advice

If there is any possibility that you are placing material that could get the attention of the authorities, you should consult legal counsel before you put it up. There are very broad powers given to governments to force ISPs (web hosts) to give up your personal data (including email correspondence) and to close down your site if they believe you have broken the law.

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More About Related Issues

Secure Net Commerce

The following related pages offer more information about providing online services in an ethical and safe manner:

Protecting Your Online Identity

The following related pages offer more information about protecting your online identity:

Securing Your Computer

The following related pages offer more information about securing your computer:

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www.RussHarvey.bc.ca/resources/webrx.html
Updated: May 9, 2013