This Could Quickly Get Out Of Hand

[azmastablasta]

While this is a bill currently affecting only New York, do you believe that it wouldn't be snapped up by Nasty Pelosi and Fairy Reid? And suddenly championed as a cause celebre for this administration? Heck, they would argue, Republicans thought this up. Just think, no more Predatormasters, in fact, no more forums of any kind. That would shut up the opposition, huh? BTW, you New Yorkers better start screaming at the top of your lungs before this law gets approved, we would hate to lose you guys here if it passes.

New York Senate bill seeks to end anonymous internet posting
By Tecca | Today in Tech – 7 hrs ago

Anonymity is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, the United States was founded, in part, thanks to Thomas Paine's anonymously written, pro-revolution pamphlet Common Sense. On the other hand, 12-year-olds who post anonymously on the internet can be rather unpleasant and cause real problems by cyberbullying. Whether you think the good outweighs the bad, this news is troubling indeed: A far-reaching bill introduced in the New York State Senate could end the practice of posting online once and for all.

Introduced by New York State Sen. Thomas F. O'Mara (R—Big Flats), S6779 would require that any anonymous post online is subject to removal if the poster refuses to post — and verify — their legal name, their IP address, and their home address. From the (likely well intentioned) bill:

"A web site administrator upon request shall remove any comments posted on his or her web site by an anonymous poster unless such anonymous poster agrees to attach his or her name to the post and confirms that his or her IP address, legal name, and home address are accurate. All web site administrators shall have a contact number or e-mail address posted for such removal requests, clearly visible in any sections where comments are posted."

Critics are quick to point out how dangerous and ineffective the anti-privacy bill would be in the off chance that it somehow passes. After all, IP addresses do nothing to verify a person's identity, and including your home address on a controversial internet post could open you up to real-life threats.

In effect, the bill is an online stalker's dream. Of course, the most likely result of the bill's passage would just be the full-scale elimination of all comment systems everywhere, because the system is an unworkable burden on both the poster and the "web site administrators" who would need to respond to ludicrous take down requests at all times of the day.

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/technology-b...-162549128.html

 

[Stu Farish]

just what I need, some officious official demanding more of my volunteer time.

 

[Rocky1]

Where do these people come from that get elected to office?

Uhmmmmm... let's see, right off the top of my head, what is wrong with this??


1.) IP is irrelevant:

-- You can download IP cloaking software for free to make your IP anything you want it to be. Furthermore, your IP is in no way shape form or fashion tied to your name.

-- Many browsers come with the ability to cloak IP built in for security reasons.

-- As I pointed out to AZ in another thread just recently, everyone on a Satellite Internet Provider has the same IP. The IP is stamped on the down link side, so all communications between the users and the internet coming out of a single downlink facility, all have the same IP address, over much of the country.

-- Many Internet Service Providers run the IP address on the server side. For instance my ISP in ND has an ever revolving IP address system. For what, I don't know; but I do know that my IP changes every so many weeks, and I know that I don't live in Hazen, ND nor do I live in Mobridge, SD, and that is where my IP places me.


2.) So any 12 year old, that figures out the IP game, realizes that everyone in 270 square miles of ND on that ISP has the same revolving IP address going out over the net, dependent upon whether you're on dial-up or DSL, grabs a phone book, starts looking up names, and addresses, and phone numbers and pretty soon a whole bunch of innocent people are receiving death threats for something they didn't say.



Somehow, I honestly don't see this plan working!

 

[ADK]

Thomas F. O'Mara: http://votesmart.org/candidate/44804/thomas-omara

This guy appears to be a solid conservative Republican?? I have to believe he did not think this bill through. Or,he has bought into the anti-bullying movement on a highly emotional level. Then again,he might just need the votes.