New Jersey vs Free Speech
p2p news / p2pnet: p2pnet is here to spread the word, not take names. So although it’s always nice to know who’s talking, we don’t force people to register to be able to contribute comment posts.
Online anonymity may be OK with us, but it isn’t with New Jersey assemblyman Peter J. Biondi. He wants web site operators to make posters identifiable, in some way, so they can be sued if they upset someone.
Biondi’s bill, "Makes certain operators of interactive computer services and Internet service providers liable to persons injured by false or defamatory messages posted on public forum websites."
It would, "require an operator of any interactive computer service or an Internet service provider to establish, maintain and enforce a policy requiring an information content provider who posts messages on a public forum website either to be identified by legal name and address or to register a legal name and address with the operator or provider prior to posting messages on a public forum website.
"The bill requires an operator of an interactive computer service or an Internet service provider to establish and maintain reasonable procedures to enable any person to request and obtain disclosure of the legal name and address of an information content provider who posts false or defamatory information about the person on a public forum website.
"In addition, the bill makes any operator or Internet service provider liable for compensatory and punitive damages as well as costs of a law suit filed by a person damaged by the posting of such messages if the operator or Internet service provider fails to establish, maintain and enforce the policy required by section 2 of the bill."
(Thanks, JaLo)
Stay tuned.
March 7th, 2006 at 2:39 pm
I’m sure that there will be lots of hosting companies from different states or countries willing to host any such sites if this passes. The way things are going, I have a feeling that it won’t be long before no one is able to host a website in the U.S. for one reason or another.
March 7th, 2006 at 5:44 pm
In the good ald days, anyone could write or print or copy anything on a paper and distribute it, without identifying the source, even when these were revolutionaries, anarchists, or simply the political or business competition.
The downfall of dictators came about because of the unidentifiable (and thus alive) opposition.
Is Peter J. Biondi trying to have the god old days done away with and go back to when free speech did not exist?
I am not putting my name here. Peter J. Biondi may then come after me.
March 7th, 2006 at 10:15 pm
The bill refers to “internet content provider” many times but I don’t know who or what would be considered that.
March 8th, 2006 at 12:02 am
It is important that we rally against laws like Mr. Biondiâs before they take root and perpetuate themselves through their enforcement. When you take a chip out of the cornerstone of free speech, you afford protection to those who seek to dismantle our freedom. That is why the implications of Mr. Biondiâs proposal represent more of a danger to our freedom than international terrorism. If we allow free speech to be endangered by legislation, we will soon find we are defenseless against tyranny.
- Publius
March 8th, 2006 at 1:45 am
This Just in…
Peter J. Biondi likes to *smoke crack while **getting double teamed by two midgets.
By *smoke crack we actually mean “take away privacy on the web”. By **getting double teamed by two midgets we actually mean, well we don’t know what mean by that but it’s funny and is just speculation.