US Congress Proposes Law to Ban Schools from offering access to Social Networks

[mandy]

MySpace and other social-networking sites like LiveJournal.com and Facebook are facing a new threat: a proposed federal law that would effectively require most schools and libraries to render those Web sites inaccessible to minors, an age group that includes some of the category's most ardent users...

Fitzpatrick and fellow Republicans, including House Speaker Dennis Hastert, on Wednesday endorsed new legislation (click here for PDF) that would cordon off access to commercial Web sites that let users create public "Web pages or profiles" and also offer a discussion board, chat room, or e-mail service.

That's a broad category that covers far more than social-networking sites such as Friendster and Google's Orkut.com. It would also sweep in a wide range of interactive Web sites and services, including Blogger.com, AOL and Yahoo's instant-messaging features, and Microsoft's Xbox 360, which permits in-game chat...

full article: http://news.com.com/2100-1028_3-6071040.html?part=rss&tag=6071040&subj=news

[mandy]

An article suggesting that the proposed bill would do little to protect children from online harm:

A proposed law banning social networks from computers in schools and libraries could block access to a huge slice of the Net -- without protecting kids

The legislation is aimed at "protecting children from terrible individuals who would aim to use Facebook and MySpace to harm young children," says Michael Conallen, chief of staff to Congressman Michael Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.), who sponsored the bill. The idea? Keeping kids and teens off potentially dangerous sites, at least on public school and library time -- not to mention keeping would-be offenders from using library terminals for nefarious deeds.

But even though the bill is in early stages and almost certainly will change as it wends through Congress, it's already drawing fire from Internet companies and even groups whose very aim is to keep kids safe on the Net...

full article: http://www.businessweek.com/technology/c...299340.htm

[mandy]

Update:

Web sites like Amazon.com and MySpace.com may soon be inaccessible for many people using public terminals at American schools and libraries, thanks to the U.S. House of Representatives.

By a 410-15 vote on Thursday, politicians approved a bill that would effectively require that "chat rooms" and "social networking sites" be rendered inaccessible to minors, an age group that includes some of the Internet's most ardent users. Adults can ask for permission to access the sites.

Even though politicians apparently meant to restrict access to MySpace, the definition of off-limits Web sites is so broad the bill would probably sweep in thousands of commercial Web sites that allow people to post profiles, include personal information and allow "communication among users." Details will be left up to the Federal Communications Commission...

full article: http://news.com.com/2100-1028_3-6099414.html?part=rss&tag=6099414&subj=news

[mandy]

A related article:

The moves by the federal government to regulate social networking sites -- like MySpace.com and others -- may cause venture investors to look overseas, and lead to a drop in early stage investments among such sites in the U.S. The House of Representatives last month passed a bill, called the Deleting Online Predators Act (DOPA), but the Senate has yet to move on the controversial legislation...

["In the proposed legislation, the government might as well ban the entire Internet for youth," said Shervin Pishevar, president and chief operating officer of Freewebs.com, a producer of social networking sites in the U.S., with more than 10 million users...

full article: http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/AaDb...ites.xhtml

[mandy]

Update:

It looks like the Deleting Online Predators Act (DOPA) has died a slow death. DOPA was proposed during the height of last year's moral panic around the issue of child safety and sites like MySpace...

...…something quite unexpected happened: nothing. With all the criticism being lobbed by the blogosphere and the media, DOPA found itself among a group of skeptical senators who were in no rush to pass the legislation...

But the final nail in DOPA’s coffin came with the switch of Congress from Republican to Democrat. Legislation that doesn’t get signed into law by the end of a congressional term has to start from scratch during the next term. In January, the Democrats will be in charge of both houses of Congress, and there’s no sign that they’re going to rush and re-introduce DOPA...

full article: http://blogs.zdnet.com/social/?p=55

[BellisimaJ.]

the final nail in DOPA’s coffin came with the switch of Congress from Republican to Democrat.

Yah, Dems.

The thing was very badly written---it would have excluded too much.

[mandy]

Update: DOPA is dead, but Son of DOPA lives:

U.S. senator: It's time to ban Wikipedia in schools, libraries

:blinkie: :blinkie: :blinkie:

US Senator Stevens is now the frontrunner for the of the year award.  :

Here's the newest from Sen. Ted Stevens, the man who described the Internet as a series of tubes: It's time for the federal government to ban access to Wikipedia, MySpace, and social networking sites from schools and libraries.

Early in January, Stevens introduced Senate bill 49, which among other things, would require that any school or library that gets federal Internet subsidies would have to block access to interactive Web sites, including social networking sites, and possibly blogs as well. It appears that the definition of those sites is so vague that it could include sites such as Wikipedia, according to commentators. It would certainly ban MySpace...

It's easy to characterize Stevens as little more than a buffoon. He's certainly a buffoon, but he's a dangerous one. A law like his passed the House of Representatives last year. We're coming up to a presidential election, which always unleashes a kind of madness among candidates, especially when it concerns anything to do with children. So don't count this law out...

full article: http://www.computerworld.com/blogs/node/4598

[regic]

Why stop at Wikipedia- why not ban books from schools and libraries too? arcasm1:

[BellisimaJ.]

U.S. senator: It's time to ban Wikipedia in schools, libraries

This is too boinking ridiculous to contemplate. : 

I feel sure I will earn some disapproval, but I feel safe in assuming that this boinktard is a Republican, and probably a 1st-termer.

t's easy to characterize Stevens as little more than a buffoon. He's certainly a buffoon

Um, clearly he is a buffoon. A meritless buffoon. Why do people elect these idiots??

[amy]

I feel safe in assuming that this boinktard is a Republican, and probably a 1st-termer.

Republican, yes--first termer, no.  Stevens is the longest serving Republican in the Senate. He's been a Senator since 1968 :blinkie: