It seems like only yesterday……hang on a minute, it was only yesterday (well – two days ago but I claim poetic licence), I was predicting that once McDonald’s had agreed to introduce filtering (for adult pornography and child abuse images) into their system for providing free WiFi access on their premises in the USA Starbucks would soon follow.
It wasn’t a fix – at least not on my part – but late last night another press release hits my Inbox telling me that Starbucks are looking into to doing just that. Well done to Enough is Enough and their energetic CEO, Donna Rice Hughes.
Again Donna was kind enough to acknowledge that she took inspiration for embarking on her campaign from what had first been done in the UK. However, to negotiate the shores of US politics on an issue which many (misguidedly) see as being connected to free speech rights, requires substantial political skills and clearly Donna has them.
In David Cameron’s valedictory speech in the House of Commons the other day he said
In politics you can achieve a lot of things..nothing is impossible if you put your mind to it.
He might have added
But first you have to believe in something and want to do it.
I can hardly think of a single worthwhile reform I have been involved with in the internet space where, at the beginning, powerful forces argued it couldn’t or shouldn’t be done. It was either impossible, too expensive or it threatened others’ irreducible vital interests.
Well there you go. Cheers to Donna Rice Hughes.
Desiderata 