MySpace.com – banned
p2pnet.net News:- Social networking could be banned in American schools and libraries if the US House of Representatives gets its way.
It’s passed the Deleting Online Predators Act (DOPA) by 410 votes to 15 and under the proposal, publicly funded organisations would be prevented, “from allowing young people to access sites that have chat rooms or ’social networking’ elements,” says The Register.
Adults would have to ask ask for permission to enter sites such as MySpace, favoured hunting grounds for online sexual predators.
DOPA was introduced by congressman Michael Fitzpatrick and covers federal institutions that received funding for computers and net access via the US E-Rate scheme – primarily schools and libraries.
The American Library Association (ALA) estimates that two-thirds of US libraries receive this funding, says the BBC, going on, “It requires these organisations to put in place filters to stop children viewing social networking sites where they might be subject to ‘unlawful sexual advances’.
But opponents argue definitions in the law are so vague they could take in a, “vast array of existing commercial websites and damage the business potential of those sites and the research capabilities of schools and libraries,” says The Register, adding:
“It will be left to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to decide what sites come under the control of the Act. Civil liberties groups are arguing in other legal disputes that the communications regulator already wields too much power.”
But, “We think it is a very unwise bill,” the Guardian Unlimited has Rick Weingarten, director of information technology at the American Library Association, saying, going on:
“The definition that they tried to cobble together covers an enormous range of very beneficial applications. By blocking access to those applications only in libraries and schools what they have done is to block access to those kids who have no other way to get access.
“People join these virtual groups for all sorts of beneficial reasons, including getting information or joining support groups … You get in a morass every time you try to block technology.”
Now MySpace has started an online petition called Save Your Space saying DOPA is against freedom of speech online.
“Perhaps the scariest part of this legislation is that no one involved appears to actually use the websites or resources in question,” says the petition site.
“It is uncomfortable – to say the least – that those most unfamiliar with this form of communication are trying to seize control of it. Do they honestly believe that millions of people are predators? Or are they willing to punish millions of responsible people for the actions of just a few? We understand the need to protect children from predators, but we believe that this protection must first start in the home and not be mandated by the federal government. HR 5319 in its current form endangers every American’s right to freedom of speech.”
On freedom of speech ….
The thought that “those most unfamiliar with this form of communication are trying to seize control of it” resonates loudly.
Senator Ted Stevens, chairman America’s Commerce Committee and, “one of Washington’s leading players on technology policy,” says the Net is a series of tubes and, “what happens to your own personal internet? I just the other day got —— an internet was sent by my staff at 10 o’clock in the morning on Friday and I just got it yesterday. Why? Because it got tangled up with all these things going on the internet commercially.”
But speaking of freedom of speech, Andrew Raff wrote and recorded a song based on Stevens’ message and posted it on MySpace.
Raff admits his parody wasn’t all that funny. But then, nor were Stevens’ views.
Notwithstanding, “MySpace has deleted your profile because we received a credible complaint of your violation of the MySpace Terms of Services,” says a MySpace termination statement addressed to Raff.
Hmmm. Wonder where the complaint originated?
“If we delete your account, it cannot be reinstated,” adds MySpace.com.
“Thank you.”
Also See:
The Register – US social networking ban could unfairly block some sites, August 1, 2006
BBC – Social network sites face US ban, July 31, 2006
Guardian Unlimited – Chatrooms may be banned in US schools to combat sexual predators, August 1, 2006
a series of tubes – Ted Stevens on Net Neutrality, July 4, 2006
freedom of speech – Ted Stevens Net Tubes debacle, July 18, 2006
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August 1st, 2006 at 1:57 pm
With three children, I find sexual predators an abomination.
That said, I suspect that Megan’s Laws and DOHA are REALLY trojan horses to set our system up to get rid of any information, and any information providers, that our one-party-government decides doesn’t fit in with their game plan. It will be quite interesting just to see how long my own web site http://GreatRedDragon.com will be “permitted” to exist. I challenge anyone to read the new SORA laws recently passed in Missouri, [ http://tinyurl.com/kykfh and not see how the American people are being set up for the fall. It’ll be worse than Russia under Lenin and Stalin. But perhaps that past information will be “erased” too. I wish that Orwell had been wrong.
Edward Ulysses Cate
August 1st, 2006 at 2:29 pm
Chatrooms may be banned in US schools to combat sexual predators.
So there is really predators in our shcools now ?? I can beleive that!!
Seems the next thing to do will be to close the schools to protect the children from predators — and let them run the streets as many do today alread –where there is no protection at all.
Thank you sir,, Sure am glad all my children are grown and out of school.
At least they got educated befor being turned loose on the real world !!
Has the world gone completely NUTTZZ ???
August 1st, 2006 at 2:30 pm
Most high schools (including mine) already have banned MySpace and similar sites (Facebook and even Xanga). They also have handbooks which say that sites with chat rooms are not allowed to be used. The whole idea, of course, is to only use the computers for school purposes, which makes sense after all.
This is not a surprise at all, but when there are actual laws in the book that make a school have to comply it gets a bit tougher. Do we have to have even more regulation of schools at the federal level? This means that perhaps an agent will visit a school and say to the system administrator: “Can I see your filter list?” and so forth. What happens if a school is not in compliance? Less funding? That really does not forward their cause. And what about new sites that will form that will not be on the filter? If they are thinking about enforcing a tag on sites that are social networks so they are easily detected that is 100% IMPOSSIBLE to enforce. I’m all against internet predators of any kind, but this does not sound like a solution since, people will definitely use proxies to get past any filters, and I really do not think anyone truly thinks about joining a social network at school, and certainly not initiating a meeting with someone they don’t know at the school. I’m certain that anything like this would happen in the privacy of their own home. If parents are concered, watch. Also, in my opinion, SharePoint with its forum, is definitely a social network of some type. So now the FCC can publish a list of social network sites eh? Now we can be like China and hire many people to search for social networking sites to be blocked at schools and libraries.
This is just yet another law to take away our ever deteriorating rights. And also, you can’t delete people stupid Congress. They should consider at least renaming the act.
August 1st, 2006 at 2:54 pm
Mr. Raff ..
I KNOW a lot of people would love to hear that parody you wrote.
Take it over to DMusic.com. Don’t let it vanish
August 1st, 2006 at 5:37 pm
Good. Ban it. *yawn*
August 1st, 2006 at 5:40 pm
“This is just yet another law to take away our ever deteriorating rights. And also, you can’t delete people stupid Congress. They should consider at least renaming the act.”
Welcome to the magical world of metaphor. Maybe you’ll learn about it when you reach high school. Or maybe you *should* have learned about it but you were too busy sending messages on MySpace.
August 1st, 2006 at 5:58 pm
Yeh. Snore.
August 1st, 2006 at 6:08 pm
I’ve never been to MySpace. The idea of it just doesn’t appeal to me though it may to kids. It is evident that these lawmakers don’t have a clue about the internet though.
Shutting down the access to such sites through schools may limit the exposure at school, however it does nothing to address home connections. Honestly, I don’t want to see home connections added to some sort of list of where you can go or not go on the net. It reads in this context more and more like China’s methods of dealing with the internet. Feelgood laws don’t solve problems and usually make more of a mess than actually dealing with the problem of on line predators.
I wish to be plainly understood that sexual predators and children are two items that should never go together. Still this throwing the baby out with the dishwater isn’t a solution either. Here we have a potential law to deal with a very small minority that will affect huge amounts of average Joes. You can be sure the majority of them have no intention of harming children but they will have to obey the laws all the same.
This smacks of a very poor solution to the problem and looks more like a bandaid to cover it rather than what it’s intent is to do.
August 2nd, 2006 at 4:24 am
There’s a possibility that the poster was also using the metaphorical context: “you can’t ‘delete’ predators” as opposed to “you cannot issue a delete command on a person.” Please consider that it may have “come out wrong” before trashing the poster.
August 2nd, 2006 at 4:26 am
I’m getting damned sick of laws that are created specifically to address exceptions while ignoring the norm.
August 3rd, 2006 at 12:54 am
Why wouldn’t it ?
Dmusic is one of the largest supporters of TRUE independent
artists. It would give a place to be stored and I guarantee
it will be noticed heard and not silenced.
August 8th, 2006 at 5:45 pm
why he feels the need to spam p2pnet ??