Jean Armour Polly sent an email to the NYLINE List with a link to Bill S2298- The NYS Public Library Filtering Bill. It was introduced into the NY Senate last month, “in relation to requiring filtering software on computers in public libraries and schools to prevent minors from viewing indecent materials.” John A. DeFrancisco is the man with the plan to protect children from Internet predators, child pornography, exploitive “child modeling” web sites, and child prostitution. His call is in response to a report issued by the Senate Majority entitled “Protecting Children in the Internet Age.”
I don’t seem to be able to link directly to the text O’ the bill, but you can start Here and search for bill # S2298. It’s current status “REFERRED TO EDUCATION”
oh God
If you want to see legislatures or courts at their worst, make them deal with the Intertubes.
The bill is worthless trash, from our perspective. It requires schools and libraries to have filters to block “obscene” material as defined by Sec. 235.00 of the New York Penal (HA!) Laws.
That section defines it as anything without artistic, scientific merit; appealing only to the prurient interest, etc. Essentially, it’s every definition of obscenity used current in US law.
Fine and good. No one wants children to see or read about human sacrifice, incest, rape, sex, death, perversion and genocide. I mean, that’s why we got rid of our Bibles. Someone has to think of the children.
Trouble is, filters don’t do that. Every study and anecdote about Internet filters says that they still block huge amounts of useful or non-obscene material and that none of them can hold off a determined porn searcher for very long.
So the legislature is mandating that libraries and schools use a technology to block material that it can’t block AND they don’t seem to know or care that great swaths of useful, legal information will be blocked.
Ever read a court decision involving the Internet? It’s like listening to your grandmother read aloud an article on search engine matrix analysis from a Chinese math journal.
Good things will happen from this. Just super.
Eliminate the predators…
Don’t worry about filters, just eliminate the predators… Better than filtering.
Oklahoma’s better!5 _int.rtf
That’s nothing – take a look and see what they’re doing in Oklahoma.
http://webserver1.lsb.state.ok.us/2007-08HB/HB171
Re:Oklahoma’s better!
Dear, Senator Butt-head.
Unplug the internet, dummy, and that’ll solve all your problems.
Sincerely yours, the Luddites