U.S. LEGISLATORS MOVE TO BAN SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES
A bill introduced by Rep. Michael Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) that aims to
restrict social networking Web sites in schools and libraries passed
the U.S. House of Representatives by a vote of 410-15. The Deleting
Online Predators Act (DOPA) would require organizations that receive
funds under the federal E-Rate program to install Internet filters that
would block access to sites such as Facebook and MySpace. The FCC would
be responsible for defining what sites would be covered by the law.
According to the American Library Association (ALA), about two-thirds
of U.S. libraries would be subject to the law. Supporters of the
legislation said that children who use such Web sites become targets of
sexual predators. Opponents of the law said it is overly broad and
would prevent computer users from accessing a number of unrelated
sites, such as Amazon, blogs, wikis, and even news sites. Leslie
Burger, president of the ALA, said, "DOPA is redundant and unnecessary
legislation," noting that the Children's Internet Protection Act
already requires institutions to block Web content considered harmful
to children. The bill now goes to the Senate.
BBC, 31 July 2006
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/5230506.stm
[Forwarded from Edupage 31 July 2006]
Robert Paul
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