If the idea of the internet as a pure tool of free speech appeals to you, take a good look.
Every web user knows it.
You need go no further than the nearest search engine to find things you certainly would not want to show your grandmother. There are a lot of extreme websites out there, be they mean, obscene or downright scary. The convictions of Soho nailbomber David Copeland and former pop star Gary Glitter bear witness to this dark side of the web. Journalist Alan Travis, whose survey of the history of censorship in the UK has just been published, has reached a weary conclusion. Unfortunately, I think the great libertarian days of cyberspace, whereby you can have a very powerful medium beamed into every home which won't in some way be limited in terms of what material comes through, is over.