Doesn’t conformity just give you goosebumps?
A Pennsylvania congressman has introduced legislation that would ban minors from accessing social networking websites such as MySpace, and forbid libraries from making such access available. The bill, known as the “Deleting Online Predators Act of 2006,” was introduced Wednesday in the House by Michael G. Fitzpatrick (R-Penn).
H.R. 5319 forms part of the Republican Surburban Agenda, part of a multi-bill initiative supported by the Speaker of the House, J. Dennis Hastert (R-IL).
The bill would bar minors from accessing a social networking site, defined as one that “allows users to create web pages or profiles that provide information about themselves and are available to other users; and offers a mechanism for communication with other users, such as a forum, chat room, email, or instant messenger.”
The “Deleting Online Predators Act” would also require the FCC to publish a sort of annual blacklist of “commercial social networking websites and chat rooms that have been shown to allow sexual predators easy access to personal information of, and contact with, children.”
The bill would require the government to set up a web site warning of the dangers of social networking.
Good thing this crowd wasn’t around when the courage and integrity required to pass the Bill of Rights was needed. Wouldn’t have had a chance.
Hey, I have an idea. Why not make the parents responsible for making sure their kids aren’t accessing inappropriate content! I know it sounds kinda crazy. I mean, making a parent be responsible for his/her kid is pretty unusual. But it’s a wild idea that just might work!
I don’t mind libraries blocking sites as long as it is that individual library that chooses to block the site. I don’t want the federal government telling my library what to block.
Heinlein said it first: Anybody that seeks elective office should be taken out and shot.
Sorry to rant but i am sick and tired of everyone pointing fingers at this one and that one when WE are to blame !!!
And I’m sick and tired of people ranting while their brains are turned off.
Regardless of how old you are, the world we live in today is not the same world you were brought up in. Even 12 years ago, few families has a computer in the house. Today, many families have several. Then most families had one telephone with maybe a couple of extensions. Now most of us have a cordless telephone in several rooms plus cell phones for ourselves and our kids.
Just those two paradigms have created a whole different world out there. Information is not only at our fingertips 24/7, but we expect it. We demand instant communication with everyone. The issue isn’t how we are bringing up our children, but what impact society is having on an influential period in their lives. We use to worry about teens hanging around a street corner. The street corner is now inside servers at MySpace and other internet meeting places.
Today the worry is whatever “white lies” we tell our kids, they will know the truth even before we tell them. Hillery Clinton got a lot of flack when she suggested that it takes a village to raise a child. That has expanded to the Global Village is raising our children whether we like it or not.
I’m 14 years old, so I guess that law would stop me from going on dvorak.org!
Now, let me tell you adults a little secret: we teenagers have discovered that as soon as we get online, we instantly, miraculously become twenty years older. Something the government might suspect, but could never prove.
“Hi! My name is James! I’m 34 years old!”
Curiously the 34-year-olds become 14
I bet this would never happen if I and my peers could vote!!!
Mobilize.org is launching a new campaign in response to Congress’ attempt to censor the communication of our generation. We have created the action alert below and built a website, http://www.mobilize.org/SOS. We are hoping to get as much grassroots action as possible around this important issue, especially from the online community.
Breaking News:
Legislation introduced this week will ban social networking, even sites used for educational and professional opportunities. What’s next? HR5319 will censor the communication of our generation and tell us who we can talk to, when and how. Tell Congress that social networking is a movement that we built, a movement that we are going to fight for.
Visit http://www.mobilize.org/SOS, take action, tell your friends and get mad.
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The bill blocks the use of these sites in public libraries, which is for many, the only access that they have to a computer. Our hope is to be able to amend the bill to take these facts into consideration. We agree that there need to be safeguards put in place for “sexual predators” and any of other crimes that might occur because of the accessibility of information on these sites, but to ban them in schools (including using school computers afterschool) and public libraries, is for many – banning social networking.
Hmm… this seems quite impossible. To post a comment on this site, we are giving our name and email. Isn’t that enough for a sexual predator to start talking to us?
I think the authority today is focusing a lot on the websites themselves.
This should not be done. I know that Myspace gives you countless saftey features that would protect you against unwanted visitors.
They don’t even think to consider that the child needs to be the focus. Obviously they should be taught not to talk to strangers and then just meet them!
Oh well, this law will never pass anyway. There are too many websites that give information to public and these people were not very specific.
thanks,