Social Networking Sites Under Attack At The State Level

from the think-of-the-children dept

Wed, Feb 14th 2007 9:49am — Joseph Weisenthal

Fortunately, the ill-conceived DOPA (Deleting Online Predators Act), which would have prevented schools and libraries that take federal money from allowing access to social networking sites, died in the Senate last year after passing the House. Unfortunately, scaremongering about social networking is alive and well at the state level. In Illinois, a state senator is pushing the Social Networking Web site Prohibition Act (via Slashdot), which looks almost identical to the DOPA. Of course laws such as these are completely silly. It's easy for kids to find a way around filters, or they'll just get online at home to look at at forbidden sites. What's worse is that because filters don't work well, the law, if passed, would block access to plenty of sites that are fine, or even useful, for kids. Of course, there's always an election coming up, so there's always a need to pass laws that "protect the children".

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child molesting politicians, 14 Feb 2007 @ 11:06am

I like interns
I don't see how we can place the safety of our children in the hands of politicians who have repeatedly been caught with their hands in the.... "cookie jar"
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Witty Nickname, 14 Feb 2007 @ 11:22am

Why stop at schools and libraries? Why not make it all state offices? Do you think it might change their mind if all their precious porno sites were blocked in their capitol offices?
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Anonymous Coward, 14 Feb 2007 @ 11:27am

Better Parenting
The only real solution to this is better parenting. As long you are dealing with technology their is a way around either provided directly by the orgainization you trying to prevent or allowed by some loop hole in the anoymus internet world. Educating the parents, that is the ultimate answer because today the children know more about computers than most parents do.
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jim arnold, 14 Feb 2007 @ 1:08pm

give them an inch
while this old adage can be applied to most anyone, it is especially true of our goverment. If we begin by allowing "OUR" politicians to dictate the hows, whys, and whos of the peoples internet use, then our freedoms in ths respect are going to be totally negated! Our children are our responsibility and if we are involved in their lives as parents.....
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Overcast, 14 Feb 2007 @ 1:21pm

Pretty much every right we have is being attacked, at every level.
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Ranger Joe, 14 Feb 2007 @ 1:39pm

You don't have the right to surf myspace at school or the library.
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TheDock22, 14 Feb 2007 @ 1:39pm

Better solution for the funds...
Instead of banning social sites from schools, libraries, etc., why not educate the children on safe social networking practices? Give them the tools to watch out for predators and such while using these websites. Not only will this help the children be safe at school, but it will also help them be safe at home where parental supervision might be lacking.

Children respond better to education about using something properly than they do to being banned from using in the first place.
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What me worry.., 14 Feb 2007 @ 1:57pm

Re: Better solution for the funds...
That would make way to much sense. It is so hard to explain to voters how money to an education program would work, plus we love the "dead or alive" "law and order" and "smoke em, out" sound bite...and never forget education program effectiveness can be tracked and that is a NO NO, but it is the right idea.
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What me worry.., 14 Feb 2007 @ 1:57pm

Re: Better solution for the funds...
That would make way to much sense. It is so hard to explain to voters how money to an education program would work, plus we love the "dead or alive" "law and order" and "smoke em, out" sound bite...and never forget education program effectiveness can be tracked and that is a NO NO, but it is the right idea.
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nunya, 14 Feb 2007 @ 2:47pm

Social networking
Social networking and social education seem to go hand in hand at public schools so it's no wonder this bill petered out and died.

Our school system spends more money on sending home your-childs-weight-alert report cards, making it mandantory to get cervical cancer shots that you can only contract from being sexually active (to as young as 12!) and teaching all the rest of the PC jargon. It is becoming more and more apparent what is deemed important. Sports, fashion and political correctness is the crux of our children's education now. Reading, writing and mathematics can take a back seat cuz you don't need 'em! As long as you can look right, kick a football and talk in circles and never really say anything you can buy a computer or software to do the rest!
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Anonymous Coward, 14 Feb 2007 @ 3:13pm

Let's be serious for a second here, shall we?

Politicians fuck kids. End of discussion.

Have any of you followed the dark saga of the Mark Foley scandal, and are you aware of what kind of laws that guy was behind?

Also, google the "franklin scandal".

Let's not take any of these laws too seriously, or dwell on them for too long, ok?
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social networking, 21 Feb 2007 @ 1:56am

social networking
politicians should have no hand on what we do on social networking sites they should be doing there real job as they already need help with that as it is.
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Watcher, 11 Mar 2007 @ 9:46pm

Remember...
'Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it.'
George Santayana

...unfortunately, They will take the rest of us along on this nightmareish hell-ride...

Watch, Listen, Learn
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