http://www.blogher.com/node/15001
A recent bill was just introduce to the senate that would expand on the measures already passed in the DOPA act. What is particular scare is some of the overt means of censorship included in the bill. In a recent blog about the proposed bill author Marianne Richmond declares that the bill would, "limits access to social networks in schools (only those receiving Federal subsidies via the E-Rate Program ) and seems to encompass the same sites as DOPA, everything from MySpace to Wikipedia; additionally the schools would be required to monitor, or perhaps track, the online activities of students if not supervised by faculty. Also included in this section is a mandate for the FTC to set up a site to warn of the dangers of social networking and interactive sites."
Such measures are extreme in the least and do nothing really to protect kids from Internet predators. Yes, I do believe that kids should be protected from those who would prey on them. I think this can be accomplished through education and not through censorship. When you limit the access kids have to social networking sites or wiki's you are not protecting them but censoring them. They learn nothing about protecting themselves or their internet identity and thus become more of a target.
If we want to protect our kids we should do it with education. We should offer them classes about how to avoid becoming a victim and what to look for. This is the best way to defend our children.
A very similar bill was introduced in 2007, with the goal of preventing minors using computers at e-rate funded facilities from using social networking sites. The bill did not go anywhere. As one of our readings indicated, representatives like to introduce these drastic bills, secure their 15-second soundbite that they can pull out for voters when they're up for reelection about how they're so dedicated to protecting our children, and then pass a more moderate plan. Other times, the drastic bill will be passed, knowing it is unconstitutional, and the courts will take care of it. Again, the elected representatives look tough to their constituents, but the real problem is not solved.
ReplyDeleteI agree that librarians need to follow potential legislation and try to shape it in ways that are more meaningful, but we need to cut the Chicken Little act. Fear and hype are what drive the legislature to suggest and pass these laws that look tough but are actually ineffective underneath the surface. These bills and laws are a huge waste of time and government resources. Think about how many problems we could actually solve if we focused our time and resources on realistic solutions.
I don't agree with this bill by any means, but at the same time I don't have a problem with schools not allowing their students to have access to social networking sites. Students are at school to learn, not play on MySpace or Facebook. I'm not sure why Wikipedia was on the list though.
ReplyDeleteLeah
I'm really just confused as to why this bill was really introduced. I find it difficult to believe things like selling information about a minor are not illegal already. This bill seems to be a waste of time and duplication of efforts.
ReplyDeleteWhat concerns me most about this is how they will define "social network" in terms of restricting sites. Web 2.0/social networking is essentially defined by the trait of allowing user interaction with a site beyond simply viewing it, and It seems that there's an interactive component to almost anything on the web anymore. Will blogs be blocked? What about online newspaper articles that accept comments? Those are some very legitimate information sources with true educational value. Blocking MySpace at school is one thing. Blocking New York Times blogs is quite another.
ReplyDeleteI think a more effective way of targeting online predators would be to increase the penalties for those caught targeting our children. As the article pointed out the DOPA Jr would not prevent children from getting access to pornagraphy sites out side our borders. The internet is a big place. You can't protect children from everything. Education is the most important tool that we have. If we make our children aware of the dangers out there they will be better able to protect themselves.
ReplyDelete