US House Resolution 5319, the Deleting Online Predators Act (DOPA), was passed by a 410 to 15 vote tonight. If the Resolution becomes law social networking sites and chat rooms must be blocked by schools and libraries or those institutions will lose their federal internet subsidies. According to the resolution’s top line summary it will “amend the Communications Act of 1934 to require recipients of universal service support for schools and libraries to protect minors from commercial social networking websites and chat rooms.”
Adults will be able to ask for the library’s permission to use such sites. The Resolution will now go to the US Senate for a vote before being offered to the President for signature into law.
The rhetoric from advocates was all about MySpace. For example, Texas Republican Ted Poe says, “social networking sites such as MySpace and chat rooms have allowed sexual predators to sneak into homes and solicit kids.”
An incredibly vague law, DOPA will require schools and libraries to block access to a potentially huge range of sites on the internet. The goal is to protect children from adult predators. Sites that must be blocked include those that allow people to post profiles, include personal information and allow “communication among users.”
410-15 was a shocking vote. I write about it here because it has the potential to impact a huge portion of our readership and the companies we profile on this site. Though the viability of enforcing such a law is open to question, web services offering collaboration in education are looking seriously endangered. Secondary collaborative consequences of commercial web sites used in schools aren’t looking good either. Or perhaps it’s just symbolic of the divide in the US between on one hand those of us who are excited about the incredible potential of web services to enable personal creativity and on-demand global communication and on the other hand those who believe that the internet is just a series of tubes.
I’m not the best person to analyze this though. Here’s who I recommend:
- Declan McCullagh at ZDNet has posted a very thorough background article on DOPA.
- Andy Carvin writes Learning Now, a blog about education and technology for PBS, and has set up a page called DOPAWatch to aggregate blog posts on the topic.
- danah boyd is probably the web’s leading expert in analyzing the politics of MySpace and youth social networking.
- Will Richardson’s Weblogg-Ed is a great source for all things Learning 2.0
- Vicki A. Davis is a Christian school teacher in Georgia who uses blogs, wikis, podcasting and more in her classrooms. Vicki has written a number of powerful posts on DOPA and I would expect she’ll have something to say in the morning.
If youth are the most likely adopters of new social software then I think it would be in the interests of all who are interested in social software to watch the US government’s attempts to keep children from it.
Comments
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Try http://www.myspaceproxyindex.com, you’ll find lots of free myspace proxy there!
URBANCHAT.COM IS BLOCKED AT MY SCHOOL AND I DONT SEE WHY I COME TO THE LIBRARY EVERYDAY FOR LUNCH AND I USUALLY GET ON THAT WEBSITE BUT TODAY WAS A DIFFERENT DAY I CAME TO THE LIBRARY AND FOUND THAT THIS WEBSITE WAS BLOCKED. I DONT THINK IT SHOULD BE BLOCKED DAMN ITS JUST ANOTHER DAMN WAY FOR TEENS TO CHAT WHATS UP WITH THAT
i think u shouldn’t block myspace at schools because if people don’t have a computer but have a myspace they need to have some way to check it.
look, the only reason that the school should block myspace is because u r not there 2 look @ myspace. but they are bull shitting u to try make it look like they care about our kids by saying it’s to prevent sexual predators. with the right precautions, one can avoid predators on myspace and even assist putting them behind bars. honestly the school i think should not block myspace
its so retarded that were not allowed to have myspace at school!! most of us are only checking to see if any of our FRIENDS, not people that we dont know, have tried to communicate with us!! screw you!!
benton sux and so does the gov. websites shouldnt be blocked (i can understand porn). but the blogs and stuff shouldnt be. WE work our butts of and we should be able to have 15 mins of time to get on the computer and play games if we want. so these school blocking systems can suck it!
yes let porn be seen
meanwhile one may block MySpace with software such as Website Block
http://www.ashkon.com/webblock.html
This is totally bogus and stupid. Kids should be able to cotact freinds if they are far away.
Also mamy kids the ages of 14 through 18 have freinds that might have an emergency and need to contact another friend. This has happened to my son.
i agree with happned to my kids also
I think Jonathan is right that this is bogus and I think that mamy is spelled many your welcome Jonathan. ROCK ON MINIMIES!
SHUT UP JUSTIN YOU SUCK!!!!
screw you hippy!
You know ahat Justin Jason is one of my friends and I dont appretiate you calling him a hippy. So screw you.
First, off you spelled my name wrong stupid. Second i really dont give a flying fuck if hes your friend. You must be gay if you get so butt hurt over me saying screw you to your friend. VOTE YES ON PROB 8!! WEEE. BTW, Austin you can suck my big hairy balls faggg!!
First, off you spelled my name wrong stupid. Second i really dont give a flying fuck if hes your friend. You must be gay if you get so butt hurt over me saying screw you to your friend. VOTE YES ON PROB 8!! WEEE. BTW, Austin you can suck my big hairy balls faggg!!
ur so right!
austin suck my balls you hippy. go smoke a joint. suck my ballssss. i know you wanna
Well I will vote yes on prop 8 because I’m not gay like you Justyn.
so go suck my cock sack
Justyn and Jonathan are right peoples so u STFU!
Thank you but try to keep it cool
i think it should be unblocked, other kids will learn from others that get hurt from meeting someone in person over myspace. that’s their fault, not everyone else should suffer, or well be punished.
myspace should not be block. thank you and wish you could unblock it.
this web sit is a way i talk to my friends and express my abilitys to use computers and it nno harm to do so so you want to talk just email me at the adress above thank you for letting me talk.
google
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