I've started preparing for a panel I'm going to be part of at WorldCon.
It's all about the Federal Government's plans for a ISP-level web filter, and potential impact on horror writers/fans.
What I can immediately bring to the discussion is the reaction to the plans on social media, particularly Twitter. There has been a resoundingly negative response to the plan on Twitter, as has there been on any polls run on news websites (not surprisingly, given that the people who will be most affected are the people who are engaging online the most).
But what I haven't looked into is the potential impact on horror fans/writers.
Potentially, anything that's Refused Classification would be banned, right?
How much of an impact would this have on horror fans?
A quick discussion on Twitter raises a few interesting questions.
1. Has this slipped under the radar for horror fans?
2. What about things such as online role-playing games, fan fiction, webzines? (Thanks Tansy!)
3. What will be the process for deciding which horror content is and isn't okay?
4. How much potentially banned content are people accessing online, particulary via websites?
To date, the debate has focussed largely on child exploitation content (which those against the filter will tell you is irrelevant, given this content isn't shared via 'websites') and sex. But, as a horror fan, I can see the 'general public' being even more anti-horror than they are anti-sex, especially if you're talking about something like non-violent erotica.
If you're a horror writer or fan, I'd love to hear your thoughts on this. Leave a comment or tweet me!
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