The common claim is unfiltered internet access is prohibited due to “Yichud”. But this implies there is no longer any prohibition in groups. Indeed, some rabbis say explicitly that as long as the screen is large (as opposed to the oft-mentioned smartphones), positioned in full view of others, and the device cannot be accessed in private, there is no longer any need for filtering.
Let’s compare open internet to this Gemara instead:
Shulchan Aruch E.H. 21:
צריך אדם להתרחק מהנשים מאד מאד… ולא יעבור בפתח אשה זונה, אפילו ברחוק ארבע אמות.
Avoda Zara 17a:
… הרחק מעליה דרכך זו מינות והרשות ואל תקרב אל פתח ביתה זו זונה וכמה אמר רב חסדא ארבע אמות…
The problem is that a few clicks away (not Klicks!) – well within the metaphorical shiur of “Dalet Amot” – are abodes of immorality and heresy.
(Of course, there’s far more to “technological pitfalls” (“פגעי הטכנולוגיה”) than applying even both of these transgressions, but if we’re already making explicit comparisons to known concepts, why not employ a wider category?)