Banning Second Life: Congressman Aims to Restrict Access to the Virtual World

[The Straight Story]

Banning Second Life: Congressman Aims to Restrict Access to the Virtual World

Illinois Representative Mark Kirk has a bone to pick with Second Life and other social networking sites over what he feels is a lack of protections for minors who use them. He called upon the Federal Trade Commission yesterday to "investigate the growing vulnerability of children to predators on Second Life."

The congressman fired off a press release stating he'd sent a letter to the FTC's chairman asking for a "consumer alert" to be issued about the dangers of Second Life. Kirk claimed there are no age verification procedures built into Second Life registration despite the popular social networking service's claims of preventing children from accessing it.

Second Life Vixen"During the past five years, social networking Web sites like MySpace, Facebook and Second Life exploded in popularity," Congressman Kirk wrote. "As more kids flock to these sites, we've seen a corresponding increase of online sexual predators targeting children."

Kirk added, "Sites like Second Life offer no protections to keep kids from virtual 'rape rooms,' brothels and drug stores. If sites like Second Life won't protect kids from obviously inappropriate content, the Congress will."

Kirk seeks once again the passage of a bill called "Deleting Online Predators Act," which passed the House in 2006 but died in the Senate. The act would require schools and libraries to prevent children from accessing Second Life and other social networking Web sites unless it was for educational purposes and under adult supervision.

http://blogs.pcworld.com/staffblog/archives/006913.html

[keroro gunsou]

1. maybe...

if parents would do their fucking jobs, there would be no need for the federales to police this. the computer and the internet is not a babysitter, neither is TV. if schools want to police this sort of thing, let them, that's their perogative.

[LSparkle]

2. What's next, outlawing IMAGINATION?

I agree with another poster -- parents ought to do their job, so that
the rest of us adults don't have to behave like nannies.

[liberal N proud]

4. They will just outlaw thinking

If people don't think they can't realize what the government is doing to them.

[baldguy]

3. Republican

[tkmorris]

5. We already HAVE protections for kids against this stuff

It's called.............. parents.