Connecticut AG Asserts Jurisdiction Over Any Web Site With Ads; Wants MySpace To Verify Users' Ages
from the no-id-no-social-networking dept
Politicians continue to point fingers at MySpace in their never-ending quest to protect the children, and now some Connecticut lawmakers have introduced legislation that would force it and other social-networking sites to verify users' ages and get parents' permission before letting minors post profiles online. The initiative is led by the state's attorney general, who describes the efforts with this wonderful quote: "If we can put a man on the moon, we can check ages of people on these Web sites." and says 10 to 20 other states are considering similar laws. The AG says that the state has the authority to enforce the law because ads posted on MySpace and other sites are viewed in the state. That's a pretty questionable assertion, since it would give the state authority over any site on the internet with ads. The bigger problem, though, is that not only is the law unreasonable, but it also just simply won't work. Kids will, inevitably, find a way around the block (such as, oh, just shooting from the hip here, lying about their age), and even if the system did work, it's not particularly clear how it will stop the problem of internet predators at all. That's the problem with all of these sorts of things politicians come up with -- all they create is the illusion of meaningful activity without doing anything to help the underlying problem. Should the law pass, it will be interesting to see how MySpace and its corporate parent, News Corp., respond. MySpace has been making efforts to appease politicians by working with them and instituting some changes on its own, but it's unlikely it would just sit back and swallow this sort of law. The typical response might be for a site to move offshore, but News Corp. probably wouldn't want to take that step, while the Connecticut AG would probably see his assertion of jurisdiction over the internet extend out there as well. Using his logic, if we can put a man on the moon, can't we find a way to stamp out stupid politicians?Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.
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Poor myspace...
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I think its a wonderful idea
Did I just type that with my outloud keys?
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I think the AG is wrong
made that he's trying to regulate interstate commerce.
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Bass Ackwards.
In an interesting site note, myspace already requests the user's age, and if below whatever their minimum age is, it denies access.
I know this because my darling girlfriend tried to make a myspace page for our dog, who is only 4 years old. Yeah, you read that right. Our dog. It not only told her she didn't mean the age requirements, it locked out the email address she gave from making an accout with a different age. That's plenty good enough for me-- what do they want? A credit card? (Which all adults may not have?) A birth certificate?
If we can put a man on the moon, we can teach our children some [what was once common] sense?
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What did we get for it? Neil Armstrong on a sound stage. (OK, I really don't believe that, but someone was going to say it)
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commerce?
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Ya right.
Oh wait you're probably in support of the Real ID crap without realizing all the problems it causes and all the ones it doesn't solve.
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So lie....
Priorities:
1) stop people lying about their ages and identities.
2) protect minors.
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All you commentators
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Re: All you commentators
I don't know what you're talking about.
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So where are the parents?
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Re: So where are the parents?
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Ads
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Wait, I've got it!
ZOMG! That fucking chain is finally complete!
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MySpace
http://nitecloak.wordpress.com/anti-myspace/
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man on the moon
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Def: Politician = Failed Litigator
These guys are great at the quick hip shot solution to any problem, and like most hip shots, there's a lot of noise (sound bite), but it completely misses the target (no useful effect), and usually wounds some innocent bystander (unintended consequences).
A little critical thinking, and real problem solving skills, couple with the ability to accept that all problems may not have solutions would save us from a lot of stupid legislation.
But the legislation today is more about appearing to do something to fool the gullible electorate into returning them to their government jobs, so they don't have to struggle at a real law career, or (horrors) actually doing something useful with their lives, like stocking shelves at WalMart.
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why lawyers?
1) once a year most governement departments do an audit, so the lawyers quickly scramble for something to make them look busy since they've been sitting on their asses for the past 11 months.
2) Hell is almost full, so the devil makes space by allowing a few of his most evil heartless demons loose on the earth!
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