Repression-- It's all about the children

[Armstead]

http://techdirt.com/articles/20071206/023423.shtml
....The House also rushed through approval of the SAFE Act, which is one of those ridiculous bills that everyone feels compelled to vote for to "protect the children." Only two Representatives voted against the bill (and, yes, for his fans, one of them was Ron Paul)....

...So what's so awful about the law? Well, like most "protect the children" legislation, it goes way overboard in terms of what people are expected to do, and like most legislation having to do with technology, seems utterly clueless about how technology works. The bill would require anyone providing an "electronic communication service" or a "remote computing service" to record and report information any time they "learn" that their network was used for certain broadly defined illegal activities concerning obscene images. That's double trouble, as both the illegal activities and the classification of who counts as a service provider are so broadly defined. McCullough notes that anyone providing an open WiFi network, a social network, a domain registry or even a webmail service probably qualify under the law. Glenn Fleishman describes what the law could mean in practice, points out that anyone who runs an open WiFi network for the public is now basically required to snitch on anyone they think may be doing anything deemed "illegal" in this act, including viewing or transmitting certain obscene drawings, cartoons, sculptures, or paintings.....

...If you don't snitch on anyone suspected of viewing or transmitting these images, then you, as the network "operator" are suddenly liable for huge fines. Honestly, the liability is so big that anyone offering WiFi is probably better off no longer doing so. This is one of those laws that politicians love to pass, because they think it makes them look like they're protecting children -- when all they're really doing is creating a huge and unnecessary headache for all kinds of service providers, from open WiFi operators to social networking sites to webmail offerings. But, of course, it moves forward -- with no public scrutiny and no discussion -- because almost no politician wants to allow a politician to accuse him or her of voting "against" protecting the children.

[Nutmegger]

1. What else is new.

All this crap gets passed because people react based on emotions than logic and reasoning.

I use to have faith that the courts would properly check the legislative branch. I don't feel that way anymore.

I think it's going to get a lot worse, before it gets better.

[Armstead]

3. It's like holdoing the phone company responsible for every call

This is a ridiculous and frightening legislation.

It's impractial because it would be impossible for an Internet carrier to monitor every site and download.

More than that it opens the door to other forms of control.

If they want to go after child exploitation, go after the sources.

[Kutjara]

2. Soon, the only people who will be safe in this country will be the children.

Adults will find themselves outsiders in an America built for tots. Every thought and action will be sanitized, every social interaction infantilized into endless chatter about what "rawks" and what doesn't; every discussion reduced to playground gossip about celebrity foibles. Already, the "cult of youth" makes experience and wisdom worthless commodities, driving people to ever stupider lengths to hang onto their 'youth.'

Drama, social criticism, examinations of complex relationships, human sexuality: all will be deemed "too adult" for the precious ones, and therefore made unavailable to all. The result will be a country of children, helpless and dependent, looking to the Parental State for all their needs.

We not only have to take this country back from the neocons; we have to take it back from the children as well.

[lonestarnot]

4. Give them all Christmas lights in their cereal.

:sarcasm:

[Smith_3]

5. Sigmund Freud proved in the early 20th century that children are far less "innocent" creatures ...

... than people liked to think. He also showed that deeming sexuality as dirty is among the primary sources of neurosia.

When will this knowledge reach the USA?