Posted on 05/24/2012 4:17:21 PM PDT by mdittmar
(CBS News) New York state lawmakers have proposed a ban on anonymous online comments.
Called the Internet Protection Act (A.8688/S.6779), the legislation would require a web site administrator to pull down anonymous comments from sites, including "social networks, blogs forums, message boards or any other discussion site where people can hold conversations in the form of posted messages."
The bill states:
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.
Among the bills' sponsors are New York Assemblyman Dean Murray and Sen. Thomas O'Mara, who say the proposed law is to fight cyberbullying.
"Cyberbullying has become one of the great tragedies of the Internet age," O'Mara said at a press conference. "Numerous national studies tell us that upwards of 40 percent of students have experienced some form of cyberbullying at least once, and they feel helpless in the face of it. Victims of anonymous cyberbullies need protection. We're hopeful that this legislation can be helpful to the overall effort to deter and prevent anonymous criminals from hiding behind modern technology and using the Internet to bully, defame and harass their victims."
Critics of the bills claim the law will infringe upon free speech.
"This statute would essentially destroy the ability to speak anonymously online on sites in New York," said Kevin Bankston, a staff attorney with the Center for Democracy and Technology told Wired, adding that anyone who disagrees with a heckler could have the comment taken down.
The proposed law raises questions over privacy and security, as well. The bill would allow website owners access to private information, like a user's home, e-mail and IP address.
A basic website can be operated by as little as one person. The bill would give that website administrator full access to private information, with no additional security provisions for users who would have to hand over their personal information.
Additionally, website administrators currently don't have to disclose their identity to users and can pay to protect their personal information from the WHOIS registry. If the legislation is enacted, the personal information exchange would be a one-way street.
Currently, no votes have been taken on the legislation.
I’d say Rove can KMA, but not going to let him get that close.
I notice you don't make the same comment about the communist occupying our White House. Is that because of the anonymous Internet posts and articles suggesting that he would very much enjoy administering that kiss?
Somebody got their feelings hurt. People are thin skinned nowadays.
The Internet is a bastion of free speech as it ought to be. Any abridgement of it there will portend the curtailment of free speech everywhere.Liberals (such a misnomer but since they don’t like it, I use it), of course, are behind it.
Obama is already too close ~
These stupid Democrats should bullied by all.
They both are Republicans. Yep our party has gone off the deep end. We actually have a stupid liberal as our Republican nominee....how dumb.
Liberal sites have a lot more posters hiding behind anonymity with their over the top hyperbole than conservative sites.
Could just use the Joe Incognito or Jack Indisguise or Kimosabe or the ever popular Mr. Smith and bounce it through several anonymiser web portals.
I’ll change my online name to Rowdy N. Pistoff
And they call us fascists!
This is unconstitutional as it would tend to chill free speech.
Let them pass it and get it promptly struck down while we still have the votes on the SCOTUS.
A 1995 U.S. Supreme Court ruling McIntyre v. Ohio Elections Commission, found that ‘’anonymous pamphleteering is not a pernicious, fraudulent practice, but an honorable tradition of advocacy and dissent’’ that ‘’exemplifies the purpose behind the Bill of Rights, and of the First Amendment in particular.’’
McIntyre v. Ohio Elections Commission, Decided on Apr. 19, 1995; 514 US 334:
http://aclu.procon.org/view.resource.php?resourceID=2681
More from the NY “tough on crime folk,” meanwhile the NYPD has been caught under-reporting crime, and subway crime is surging.
Whether or not this law passes (and it’s dumb) normal libel law would continue to obtain, and allow investigators to breach the walls of anonymity. In over ten years on FR I have not seen even the worst troll go railing on some real-life-named random John Doe or Jane Roe who isn’t a public figure — as would happen in “cyber bullying.” But if a troll did that and wasn’t swiftly banned, I’m sure Jim Rob would have been glad to point investigators to its email address and bid them good luck.
An open letter to Dean Murray and Sen. Thomas O’Mara, shove it in dishonor of Tereza Heinz Kerry ! I am anonymous except for my handle.
Why would that make any difference? They want to know where to find you? Maybe it would help a bit - Unabomber submits update to Harvard alumni book-lists occupation as "prisoner"
THEY SHOULD BE DEFEATED IF THEY DO NOT WITHDRAW THIS DISGRACEFUL BILL. MADE AN EXAMPLE OF.
I kinda like the handle "The Shadow",The Shadow Knows;)
Good find. Thomas supported that decision. Scalia did not.
http://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/93-986.ZO.html
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