February 14th, 2007
DOPA returns from the dead (act two)
More DOPA-esque legislation is being proposed, this time by Illinois state senator, Matt Murphy. As with the failed Delete Online Predators Act, the Social Networking Web Site Prohibition Act would ban access to social networking sites in public schools and libraries. At this stage, it's not clear how the proposed act would define a social network, but it's likely to go well beyond the usual suspects of MySpace and YouTube — to include any web site with social features, such as this blog with its ability for users to register and leave comments.
Perhaps because of its broad scope, DOPA died a death through lack of support. So why introduce yet another attempt?
Techdirt might have hit the nail on the head:
Of course, there's always an election coming up, so there's always a need to pass laws that "protect the children".
As cynical as that may sound, it does seem ironic that, on the one hand, politicians are actively using social software to boost their election campaigns, while on the other, many are happy to drum up support to ban the use of such software in libraries — the only place where some voters may have access to the Internet.
Steve O'Hear is a London-based consultant, educator, and journalist, focussing on the Internet and all aspects of digital technology. See his full profile and disclosure of his industry affiliations.
