Law To Ban Social Networks, Blogs And IM From Schools Dead This Time Around
from the only-a-matter-of-time dept
During the summer, as politicians were gearing up for election season, there was suddenly a flurry of activity from folks in Congress to put forth new legislation to "protect the children." Of course, you should probably be pretty skeptical any time you hear that phrase, because usually the laws are designed more to protect a politician's job, and will do little (if anything) to protect children. That was the case of the DOPA (Deleting Online Predators Act), which was introduced in May and quickly rushed through the House. It picked on an easy target: social networks. MySpace and some of the other social networks had been receiving a ton of negative press coverage over how they could be used by predators preying on children, that they seemed like an easy call for politicians. Of course, the legislation was overly broad, and threw out the baby, the bathwater and the entire damn bathtub. It banned any kind of site that stored a profile from schools and libraries that take federal money. Sure, that includes MySpace and Facebook, but it could also include Amazon.com, Blogger, Yahoo and other sites as well. And, it's not as if kids would stop using these things. Instead, they'd just use them secretly, without any supervision or without any guidance in how to use them safely. That doesn't seem like a good recipe for making kids safer.However, with the new Congress taking their seats this week, a few people noticed that DOPA never went anywhere as some folks in the Senate realized how bad it was and moved the bill to the backburner. It also doesn't seem to be on anyone's political agenda just yet. The Representatives who sponsored it were all voted out in the last election (suggesting their ploy didn't work very well). Of course, things could change pretty rapidly if there are another series of stories about predators on these sites. However, we'd expect that 2007 will probably be a semi-quiet year on that front, as politicians will store up the next batch of "for the children" legislation for the 2008 election cycle.
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i should run for President...
BAN COMPUTERS!
i mean, think of all the problems we could solve. no more child porn. no more social networks. no more copyright infringement. no more piracy. no more hacking. we'd all be safe from all the horrible things that computers cause. then we can all go and live in our log cabins and sing folk songs around the fireplace. all will be right with the world once again.
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Re: i should run for President...
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Re: i should run for President...
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Tip of the iceberg
The mindset of the average liberal is always that they are the smartest person in the room and know whats best for us.
Mark my words on this, we will see much legislation trying to further control the internet by the Democrats. They will go at it the same way they do, oh lets say tobacco. They wont confront it head on theyll go at it from the sides.
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Re: Tip of the iceberg
Mark my words on this, we will see much legislation trying to further control the internet by the Democrats. They will go at it the same way they do, oh lets say tobacco. They wont confront it head on theyll go at it from the sides.
That sounds like every politician under the sun, Dem., Rep., or otherwise.
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Re: Tip of the iceberg
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Re: Re: Tip of the iceberg
We should do away with elections and make public office be like the draft: if you're name gets pulled from a hat you have to go serve, and if you suck at it you'll do time.
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Re: Tip of the iceberg
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Re: Tip of the iceberg
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Re: Tip of the iceberg
Substitute "politician" for "liberal" and you'll be closer to the truth. Besides, I've known many conservatives that were similar to how you describe the "average liberal" and several liberals that were fairly humble and open-minded.
And before you ask or make assumptions or accusations: No, I'm not a "Liberal", I just dislike it when people make blanket statements like that.
Remember kids, All Generalizations Are False. :-P
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i totally forgot...
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Re: i totally forgot...
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Re: Re: i totally forgot...
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Quit your crying
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Re: Quit your crying
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Re: Re: Quit your crying
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Re: Quit your crying
Over-broad laws will prohibit legitimate web sites, like Wikipedia, just as quickly as they'll prohibit the "bad" ones.
As a network administrator, you're smart enough to block the web sites that are actually causing the problems, and you will do a better job than any law passed by a politician.
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We may not object to the blocking -- just to the l
However, I don't think that it is the role of government to make these decisions for the kids... or for you. I'd rather trust *your* judgement about what sites the kids should see, rather than any politician's opinion.
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lol
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Walled off education.
I feel that collaboration is an important part of education. By walling off students you are failing to education them on how to deal with others. I pray you are not an educator as your post expresses the lack of technical knowledge that we on this forum discuss.
The problem is more complex than simply telling kids to "shut up." Social websites are simply the digital "jungle gym at recess." You don't ban recess because somebody skinned their knee, you monitor the playground.
LS.
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Re: Walled off education.????
I completely agree with MrTitleist - if you need social interaction, talk to the kid sitting next to you - not someone else through a monitor. Otherwise, shut up and learn something.
Save Myspace for when you get home... on your own time and on your own PC.
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Re: Re: Walled off education.????
You make a good point. To some certain extent, our reliance on digital communication isolates us at a local level. However, if a kid wants to fart around in the library, they're going to do it, computer or not. You can not shove education down a child's throat.
I just feel that the benefits of open communications exceeds the costs of control on this subject.
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School and Computers
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Re: School and Computers
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Re: School and Computers
In addition to the dumbing down of these students, that dumbing down makes them *easier* to control by the 'gov'.
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Re:
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Re:
Only if we also ban buggy whips. Those things can be nasty when used by someone with buggy rage.
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Banning
The schools should have qualified employees that can monitor and control access to the sites the school doesn't approve of.
I know my daughter has a teacher that uses my space to receive asignments, and post comments about books students have read, in hope that other students would be interested in reading the book. If used correctly sites like these can have value, but would need monitoring.
Just like with anything else there are good ways it can be used and bad ways. If we teach our kids to be safe on the internet, then we would be better off.
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I work at a bank as a network admin. I block myspace, facebook, yahoo personals, ebay, and all that other crap that helps no one do their job while they are at work. (Except Techdirt, that doesn't get blocked, wonder how that happened....)
MrTitleist, thank you for doing your job, block anything that isnt related to research and education. It is a school for God's sake.
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RE: i should run for President...
>
> I have a brilliant idea...
>
> BAN COMPUTERS!
I have a better idea: ban politicians!
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Let the teacher decide
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Point of view
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances."
I do agree with the comment made about children needing to socialize with the student next to them; however, this implies that once they are exposed to a social network site they will never want to speak verbally again. Children are already forced to go to "school". Where as in the job market, people are suppose to be paid for their time. If they are expected to learn, they must feel that school is more then a place they must go to everyday, even then you can not expect every student to act exactly the same way. The blanket method of teaching is not longer a viable method for passing knowledge.
The comment about using myspace as an arena for discussing books, makes myspace related to education, therefore by blocking myspace, something RELATED to research and education is being blocked.
As a side note, when I was in school, not all that long ago,(currently pursuing a masters) this was not an issue, while myspace was not around, chatting was, and I interacted with my fellow students as well as students in other countries. So before you consider blocking social networks from schools, I would like to know how many languages you speak, besides english and binary.
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Not this again....
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however, technology, just like anything else, can be used for good and bad. it just so happens that if anything bad happens, any good becomes negated.
yes, the dems want to ban videogames and whatnot. but they advocate personal privacey. how can that be? republicans want moral convictions, but let violent games fly by. how can that be? as it turns out, any party will do whatever it can to stay in power. it's not aboout helping the people, it's about staying in power so your agenda can be pushed through. sure both the dems and repubs have good intentions on how the country should be governed. not saying one is better than the other. where one party fails, the other shines...
next. the state of our education system is in sad affiars.
under/over paid teachers who care less about teaching and more about thier next paycheck. (my school distric, many teachers have over 1 school year of vaction time and are paid out the butt, the next district over, they struggle to replace old teaches because lack of funding) lack of proper/up to date classroom materials. (seriously, about 6 years ago when i was in HS we had history books claiming that the cold war would never end, the berlin wall will stand like the great wall of china) so, before any school should worry about internet and what not, they should be worried about the physical components of their education. get the teachers paid approprately. get the proper text books in the classrooms.
there is so much wrong with education. and i hate to quote fiction, but from an episode of the west wing "schools should be palaces. they should be very expensive to run, teachers should be paid a quality salary and it should all be free to the populus" but when we spend billions on weapon systems that don't work, and billions of paying people not to work, other programs will fail. you can't get $1.25 in change from a $1 bill. it's just all crazy
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It's all about Backbones.
Social networking sites provide the way for the will. In no way are they educational. Recess is for ACTIVE play - not socializing with "shaniqua" 5,000 miles away.
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American Education
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the reason
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Rofl....
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bonus points
I also believe that these sites should not be blocked from any computer. I also believe that the "Responsible Adult" should be responsible for taking care of the kid. The federal government has no say in affairs like that.
The founding fathers intentionally created a small government so it doesnt interfere like this. TV, Not the governments business. Radio, not the governments business. Even the Internet is not the governments business unless its an issue of national security. Somehow I doubt that My Space is. When I say national security I don't mean Bush's job I mean endangering the citizens lives.
If I ever become president I will pull the governments greedy fingers out of just about everything. Since no money will be going to the stupid little things that the federal government should have nothing to do with, it will be able to go to better things. Like getting body armor for our solders, or maybe lowering taxes. Or even getting NASA and other research institutions the money they really need. How long have we been looking for a cure for cancer, AIDS, and other stuff like that?
all these stupid laws are just more ways for politicians to grab for more power.
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Nice box there Pandora
The ways of learning and sharing new information are vastly different from even 10 years ago. To just start banning sites out of the blue could lead to a lot of useful sites getting blocked.
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I remember being in school and thinking "Free Speech" meant I could talk back to a teacher or go to whatever website I wanted (yes there was internet when I was in school.)
Kids, let me tall you something, you have no consitutional rights in school. Sorry. They can search yuor locker for any reason, they can restrict your web access.
And on a side note, I read the response about the 16 year old paying school taxes and I laughed. The only taxes a 16 year old is paying is Social security, he will get the rest back when he files.
At least here in Texas most of the money from education comes from property taxes. So kids living at home, ask your parents if they want THEIR tax money to give you access to MySpace.
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Senate's job: Ignoring Stupid Stuff
The House is the 'reactive' arm of Congress; everytime Joe Blow gets annoyed by something and writes his member, a new bill gets introduced banning, for example, birds from pooping on freshly washed cars.
Then the Senate gets the bill and, rightly, ignores it, and life goes on.
Too bad this didn' work with the *$#&^!@*(&#^% Patriot Act(s).
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1st admendment, politics, and IT people
1. Blocking myspace, facebook, etc. IS a violation of the 1st admendment. The school is run by taxes, thus it must obey the law. That means that the 1st admendment, in this case freedom of speech, must be allowed, though, by blocking kids from speaking online, you are thus taking this right from them. (although, that is all my school blocks.)
2. Even if you block it, kids are gonna find a way around. Proxies are what the kids in my school use, becuase we use the Barracuda firewall, it's fairly easy. Then the school blocked most of the proxies. www.allaboutabe.com is the one that isn't blocked.
3. No one here is an IT person in a school, clearly. You are all just making it up. I almost believe "a real IT person" is one, but not quite. You all sound just too stupid to me.
4. BAN POLITICIANS!!!! There is no such thing as a good one. Well, let me correct myself. There is, but they won't go any higher than the city level. Anyone above that is just looking for money and power.
5. Everyone here (including myself) needs to get a life and stop ranting. Go outside and enjoy the day. It's 54 here in the middle of winter. (Central Indiana) So Stop yelling at other people and go do something fun.
And finally, I metioned I was from Central Indiana. THAT DOES NOT AUTOMATICALLY MAKE ME A FUCKING FARM BOY!!!!! I am tired of the Fucking stereotypers all over the fucking world. I do not care about agricultre whatsoever, i don't even think I spelled it right. Noone in our school plants corn or soybeans, so stop sterotyping us all. dumbasses.
Ok, enough of my rant. I'm gonna go meet with some friends now and do something fun. I won't be back on this article, so don't even bother responding to me.
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Re: 1st admendment, politics, and IT people
Best of luck to all.
I leave this debate now, with these parting words: "If at first you don't succeed; call it version 1.0"
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You ought to challenge your school's in court. Of course, you won't find a lawyer, even if you could afford one they would just laugh in your face.
You could represent yourself though, maybe all of those f-bombs will work as well on the judge as it did on us.
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ok, one more thing
That is truly my last remark, it has been a pleasure having a civilized debate.
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No, really, I do!
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Easy Solution
Why dont we make it easier for everyone and just remove internet service from schools altogether? No free speech violation there and that might keep the keeps busy enough at home they will stay out of trouble. At least that was how it was in my school. Nobody had cellphones, laptops or ipods. The occasional handheld was confiscated and returned at the end of the day then the end of the year if you got caught again. Things seemed so much more simple then.
I am no IT guy but I do work for a school district. This bill is garbage because our district blocks all those sites via proxy anyways. Let the schools govern themselves and everyone will be happier.
I do agree with removing computers from primary and secondary school though. Theres really no use for them at that young an age.
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Re: Easy Solution
I do agree with removing computers from primary and secondary school though. Theres really no use for them at that young an age.
I don't fully agree with you there. It's best to teach people at a young age. Even without the internet there are still uses for them like learning how to type. Having PCs in primary and secondary school is fine with me but I do fell that introducing the internet is one of those things that should be held off for a few more years.
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No, students do not lose their rights to free speech or any other rights when they enter schools.
From the American Center for Law and Justice: http://www.aclj.org/Issues/Issue.aspx?ID=13
"The fact is, however, from the moment they step onto the public school campus to the moment they graduate, public school students enjoy substantial rights to free speech, free press, assembly and religion. The First and Fourteenth Amendments to the Constitution of the United States, and the federal Equal Access Act confer important liberties on public school students that no school official may abridge unless the exercise of those rights materially and substantially interferes with school discipline."
Furthermore, I have a book from the ACLU that details exactly which rights students have, and the ways they've been upheld. And the right to expression and freedom of speech are amongst them. You can get your own copy for free. Just contact the organization.
So, morons like AC and Witty Nickname and all... Here is a novel idea. Before you open your mouth to speak, know what your talking about. It'll save you from looking like even more of an idiot than you already are.
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Blocking websites in schools is not only legal, but does not violate all of these 1st amendment rights you guys speak of. In case you don't know about CIPA, here's a little preview of it. And this is why school districts are allowed to block websites.
Background
The Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA) is a federal law enacted by Congress in December 2000 to address concerns about access to offensive content over the Internet on school and library computers. CIPA imposes certain types of requirements on any school or library that receives funding support for Internet access or internal connections from the “E-rate” program – a program that makes certain technology more affordable for eligible schools and libraries. In early 2001, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) issued rules implementing CIPA.
What CIPA Requires
* Schools and libraries subject to CIPA may not receive the discounts offered by the E-Rate program unless they certify that they have an Internet safety policy and technology protection measures in place. An Internet safety policy must include technology protection measures to block or filter Internet access to pictures that: (a) are obscene, (b) are child pornography, or (c) are harmful to minors, for computers that are accessed by minors.
* Schools subject to CIPA are required to adopt and enforce a policy to monitor online activities of minors; and
* Schools and libraries subject to CIPA are required to adopt and implement a policy addressing: (a) access by minors to inappropriate matter on the Internet; (b) the safety and security of minors when using electronic mail, chat rooms, and other forms of direct electronic communications; (c) unauthorized access, including so-called “hacking,” and other unlawful activities by minors online; (d) unauthorized disclosure, use, and dissemination of personal information regarding minors; and (e) restricting minors’ access to materials harmful to them.
Schools and libraries are required to certify that they have their safety policies and technology in place before receiving E-rate funding.
* CIPA does not affect E-rate funding for schools and libraries receiving discounts only for telecommunications, such as telephone service.
* An authorized person may disable the blocking or filtering measure during any use by an adult to enable access for bona fide research or other lawful purposes.
* CIPA does not require the tracking of Internet use by minors or adults.
http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/cipa.html
This isn't anything new, CIPA has been in place forever, and every school district in the United States complies with CIPA. Now, can anyone here HONESTLY tell me that MySpace, Facebook, etc are appropriate for middle school aged children to look at? No. Not at school anyways. That's the school's time, not the kid's time.
Yes, kids can still get around all of these filters using various proxy sites, but I know that at my middle school (and the rest of our school district), we block proxy sites as soon as we catch them across the filter. AllAboutAbe is a known proxy and blocked by our school district. At least the proxy part of the page, the main page is still open for access because it does provide somewhat useful information.
Comment #7, they're at school.. why do they need "digital social interaction"? They're at a school, people do still socialize at these high schools. If you guys had any clue about teachers now days, you'd know they really don't give a shit, they want a paycheck and nothing else. Teaching content to them has become a thing of the past now that they have computers and software to do it for them.
We use a filter called Lightspeed, which does the blocking of websites (from a remote database in CA), we add in what we feel necessary. Sometimes things get blocked that are legit, and in that case we unblock it. But things like Facebook, MySpace, blog websites are blocked. We block certain images (I caught a kid the other day searching for "poop" and another searching for "live toilet cams"), so yeah, filters have to be in place in schools. School has changed a lot since I graduated, it's pretty much a mirror of its former self, so to speak. I can't believe what happens in these places now. While the gov't shouldn't be making these kinds of laws, schools are certainly responsible for the content, and if that's blocking MySpace, then so be it.
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teenagers are the majorirty of the people who use the computers and they(myself included) should common sense. my economics teacher said during a class once that people get what they deserve, and hes right if you are stupid enough to tell someone personal things about you through email, chat room, myspace, whatever, and if you dont know that person, then i hope you get fucking raped becasue thats just stupid!
and parents, if you don't want your LITTLE kids to be prey for predetors then watch over them when they use the computer and moniter whwt they put it.
its as simple as that.
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Re:
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DSF
WHY SHOULDN'T THEY?
I NEED ANSWERS, PEOPLE! LET ME SEE WHAT YOU CAN COME UP WITH.
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Ok, time 2 get back 2 reality
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