McCain: All Websites Required to Report Illegal Images and Delete Predator Profiles
This story is a few days old, but new information continues to be added:
Basically the proposed law would force all websites to report any illegal images or obscene content to the authorities immediately. They would also be required to keep records of the incident for 6 months or face criminal and civil penalties.
For social networking sites, forums, and so forth, owners would be required to delete the profiles of sex offenders. This would be done apparently through a national database of e-mail addresses of sex offenders (apparently the notion of creating a new e-mail address never crossed the Senator's mind).
It's an interesting bill that could have some huge implications on sites like Myspace, Facebook, and even Google. While I'm all for stopping illegal images from being online, the word "obscenity" is so vague that it could imply almost anything that could be offensive to someone. Last year a website that posted pictures soldiers had taken from Iraq was deemed obscene and shut down. I would hope this law wouldn't be used as a political way of shutting down smaller websites that they don't like by imposing huge fines.
"Last year a website that
"Last year a website that posted pictures soldiers had taken from Iraq was deemed obscene and shut down."
DO you have a reference for that?
totally unenforcable on a large scale
but that's not really my concern. the big picture is that by forcing small sites, which are the heart of the internet, to allocate resources to idiotic and vague regulations, you discourage investment in creative technologies, which is what drives our industry.
I get concerned when vague
I get concerned when vague laws are applied new to forms of technology and communication.
DO you have a reference for that?
I think this is a story about the referenced site
http://americablog.blogspot.com/2005/09/us-soldiers-allegedly-trading-pictures.html
DO you have a reference for
There are a lot of articles about it, it was very big news in Florida.
This was a good piece done on it by Rolling Stone. As you can see, the website is now property of the Polk county sheriff's office.
By the time this thing gets
By the time this thing gets through the House and Senate, if it ever gets through the House and Senate, it will be a bill about funding the study of socio-economic differences in graffiti by geographic location. Which makes almost as much sense as trotting out the 'it will stifle our industry' argument every time a senator mentions a bill.
heh
All your images are belong to us!
What happened to land of the free?
It's bad enough that they censor news.
It Elected Bush
Next time, vote for somebody who supports the Constitution.
politics
What you want someone who gets his willy wanked all over it?
These are the same idiots who wrote the CDA of 1996
Dean, the Communications Dececny Act was not all about pornography. It's the same law that makes ISPs legally equivalent to telephone companies, even though ISPs are far more interventive than telephone companies could ever hope to be.
I suspect this law will make some headway.