[governance] Age rules (was Re: ALAC and NCUC)

[Norbert Bollow]

Karl Auerbach <karl at cavebear.com> wrote:

> Norbert Bollow wrote:
> > Karl Auerbach <karl at cavebear.com> wrote:
> > 
> >> It is sensible to adopt the normal constraints that require a person to 
> >> be of adequate age and mental competency.
> 
> > What is gained in internet governance by adopting these constraints?
> 
> It's pretty normal to recognize that children are children and not small 
> adults.  And there are people who have limited capacity to form judgments.
> 
> The former case is usually done via a somewhat arbitrary age of majority 
> - 18 years, 21 years...; the latter is usually a rather more complex matter.
> 
> It does make sense, at least to me, to adopt the practical wisdom of 
> these normal distinctions.

Ok, I agree that these distinctions sound plausibile enough -- but
adopting this as a principle of internet governance, which implies
agreeing that the principle is important enough that the resulting
costs must be somehow taken care of, IMO requires more than a mere
plausibility argument.

> Moreover, internet governance would lose 
> credibility if it were somehow painted as an electronic era form of 
> children's crusade.

AFAIK there is no indication whatsoever that imposing an age rule is
necessary to prevent this kind of credibility problem.

Greetings,
Norbert.


-- 
Norbert Bollow <nb at bollow.ch>                    http://Norbert.ch
President of the Swiss Internet User Group SIUG  http://SIUG.ch
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