Fergie's Tech Blog

Vint Cerf: YouTube Bans Don't Work

Vint Cerf, one of the founders of the intenet and now Google's Chief Internet Evangelist, pictured in Brisbane, Australia.
Image source: Tony Phillips / The Age

Vint Cerf, one of the founders of the internet and now a senior executive with Google, has cast doubt on the efficacy of recent attempts to curb cyber bullying by blocking student access to video-sharing sites such as YouTube.

Interviewed in Brisbane where is he due to make his only public appearance in Australia later today, Dr Cerf said it was clear that many schoolchildren had the wherewithal to circumvent the ban.

"I believe that many young people have those skills that may be well beyond those of their parents and their teachers and will find ways of accessing information," he said in a telephone interview.

Instead, he said, students should be taught about social responsibility.

posted by Fergie @ 3/07/2007 05:23:00 PM