Senator: Illegal images must be reported

[Guest echtrae]

Senator: Illegal images must be reported

Millions of commercial Web sites and personal blogs would be required to report illegal images or videos posted by their users or pay fines of up to $300,000, if a new proposal in the U.S. Senate came into law.

Now Senator McCain, the ever fluctuating presshound, is pushing to have web sites fined for what their users do.

"This constitutionally dubious proposal is being made apparently mostly based on fear or political considerations rather than on the facts," said Kevin Bankston, an attorney with the Electronic Frontier Foundation in San Francisco.

According to the proposed legislation, these types of individuals or businesses would be required to file reports: any Web site with a message board; any chat room; any social-networking site; any e-mail service; any instant-messaging service; any Internet content hosting service; any domain name registration service; any Internet search service; any electronic communication service; and any image or video-sharing service.

Personally, I find this trend to be unsettling. Principally, I don't see this as a means to protect the children, but to try and oppress the people.

Because "social-networking site" isn't defined, it could encompass far more than just MySpace.com, Friendster and similar sites.

It would also include this site and pretty much any other site that you probably frequent.

[NightScribe]

I agree with you; they are trying to oppress the people. They keep whittling away at the first amendment, along with a few others, and it makes me sick. I'm all for protecting children from predators, but it seems like out of desperation, they're casting a huge net and anyone else who gets scooped up in it, gets punished. It's bull.

How about finding a way to bring the troops home? What about education, affordable housing, health care, social security, and the deficit? These politicians are so sleazy, not to mention hypocritical. They either talk about the terrorist threat (like Bush anytime there's some new scandal) or we must protect children from obscenity and predators. Fear mongering and, unfortunately, most Americans don't employ any critical thinking and ask pointed questions or engage in debate, they just keep on with their lemming act. Grab your inner tubes and life vests, folks, just in case you get shoved off the cliff into the sea with the pablum eating sheep.

[Squallfan]

It's a bunch of Bull Shit! That's pretty much all I have to say about it.

[Guest Adara]

I can't believe this crap. Honestly, if this thing is really going to go through, I suggest we start petitioning to throw it out! We can't as the American public keep ducking under the covers whenever anyone mentions terrorism or "Illegal" child ANYTHING.

What the hell ever happened to making one's kids one's own responsibility? Gah! I'm so pissed off at this bullshit! Someone needs to give the House and Senate the proverbial bitch-slap before they do have anarchy.

[Guest Big Samurai]

*grumbles*

I suppose we should've foreseen this, given the recent vote against the Net Neutrality principle on which the Internet has been functioning since it went public in '94. While I doubt it will gain much traction in the current Congress, one must be careful.

[Guest Alien Pirate Pixagi]

...Wait a minute... that means that ever website would have to MODERATE EACH AND EVERY LITTLE SUBMITION! IT would be Elfwood all over the bloody place! Oh crap -facepalm-

Everything I can say on this I HAVE said on this. For a quick recap: MAKE SURE YOUR KIDS ARE NOT DEEPLY RETARDED BEFORE LETTING THEM ON THE NET!

Also: POLICE STATE!

[Guest Agaib]

Umm yea... really, some of these parents are such idiots. They need to learn to monitor what their kids are watching. Its been shown that exposure to violence can increase in violent behavior in children, but the fact of the matter is that it's the parents responsibility to limit that violent exposure. You can't have some stupid dad go out and rent Grand Theft Auto for his four year old, but then sue Rockstar Games when he realizes what kind of content it has! This is the exact same principle. The most a website should be forced to do is warn about the possibility of inappropriate content. Beyond that, its important that people watch out for their own kids.

I think the real problem is that parents want to be able to totally ignore their kids and have society teach them so they don't have to do all of that work. You can't just let a huge source of media be the only source of learning morals and ethics for a little ten year old. Despite what these idiots think, kids should be taken care of by parents, not huge media organizations.

If these legislatures really want to pass a law they should pass one that rewards big websites in some way for carefully monitoring submissions without making it an obligation. Rather than going ape shit and arresting every random guy who hosts a website that allows people to say what they want.

[Guest DarkAvenger]

That's why we have the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) though, to protect our rights in cases like these. They've managed in the past and will likely manage again. I've been a donating member of their site for a long time for a reason.

[Guest Monsterking]

yet another reason to hate the current administration which obviously has something to do with this

Cheers And may the furs be with you "WOOOOOO!"