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Tuesday, March 11, 2008

Anonymous comments might just cost you.

First they wanted to take away my iPod, now, it seems Rep. Tim Couch wants to fine website owners for allowing anonymous comments. It’d be cheaper for me to get caught talking on my cell while driving. The proposed bill HB 775(BR-1943) goes further than comments though. As I interpret it below, it’s anyone who publishes content or allows it, from an ISP to a blogger. While it may target comments at first, it sure looks like a gateway bill aimed at ultimately shutting down sites people claim make false statements.
“Information content provider” means any person, business, or entity that is responsible, in whole or in part, for the creation and dissemination of information through the Internet or any interactive service... An interactive service provider shall establish reasonable procedures to enable any person to request and obtain disclosure of the legal name, address, and valid electronic mail address of an information content provider who posts false or defamatory information about the person.
The only thing this does is show how far behind the technological curve politicians are. People will just use fake names and addresses instead, and more taxpayer money will be wasted on another bill that tries to legislate against hate. Seems we already have laws on the books for things like hate crimes, no? Yet somehow, they still keep happening. Representative Couch said himself that enforcing the bill if it became law would be a challenge.

Ya think?

(Tip via Studio Maven.)

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2 comments:

Anonymous said...

From Hyden, Kentucky - also the home of former NFL QB Tim Couch.

Damn inbreds.

He must've been slammed on a blog by an anonymous commenter.

Good luck getting that bill passed.

Ben Kunz said...

I absolutely agree.**

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