License Your Computer?

I read something that concerned me the other day, but I don't remember where.

Because of the threat of computer viruses, spyware, and God knows what else, a columnist suggested that internet access be licensed.

Her wording, "We require a license to make sure that one can safely operate a car; with so many depending on the internet for their livelihood shouldn't we make sure that computer operators know how to safely surf the net?"

I agree with her to a point but disagree with her solution. Licensing access to the internet would be to open to partisan mischief regardless of which party is in power. Don't like so and so's blog? Find a way to revoke his net license.

However she had a valid point on the need for people to surf responsibly and keep their computer safe and as virus free as possible.

Perhaps instead ISPs should be required by law to include a valid (and regularly updated) spyware and virus protection in their service contract. I generally don't like a lot of regulations but I think this is one area where reasonable regulations reasonably enforced might not be a bad idea. When a virus can do the damage that some of them do, then mandatory protection might be needed. Most sensible people have virus and spyware protection anyway but this would make sure that everyone has it.

Update: I am not sure if I want the gov't interfering either, but I have seen more than a few people, mostly young people, getting viruses that render their computer useless. Not all young people (or older ones either) are computer savvy enough to think of these things.