New U.S. censorship law
U.S. lawmakers are discussing a bill that is aimed at fighting pedophilia and child pornography on the Internet; the debate centers on the “Child protection from Computer Pornography 2011.” This new law focuses on the complete elimination of online privacy.
Although it is aimed at combating paedophilia and child pornography, the context turns any internet user into a possible target, to be monitored by the authorities. If the bill is to be approved, it would represent by far the most important form of civil liberties restraint, whose victims could be virtually everyone using the Internet.
One of the bill’s points is to keep record of every page accessed by Internet customers and store them for 18 months in an archive. This archive would include the user name, home address, and account numbers from banks, credit card numbers and IP address associated with the computer from where access is made.
Those against it say that intercepting citizens’ everyday behavior to help capture a relatively small number of pedophiles is a method classically used by police states. The scheme proposed by this law, to record the user’s information and online history does nothing more than to treat every Internet user as a possible perpetrator and also threatens online privacy and freedom of expression of every American.
The law was thought in such a way that individuals monitored over the Internet don’t have to be under investigation for child pornography, police being permitted to access the data of all those suspected of any illegality.
Furthermore, this data will be checked in civil proceedings also, such as divorce or child custody processes.
The bill has passed by the Commission but has not yet reached the Superior Court.
Although it is aimed at combating paedophilia and child pornography, the context turns any internet user into a possible target, to be monitored by the authorities. If the bill is to be approved, it would represent by far the most important form of civil liberties restraint, whose victims could be virtually everyone using the Internet.
One of the bill’s points is to keep record of every page accessed by Internet customers and store them for 18 months in an archive. This archive would include the user name, home address, and account numbers from banks, credit card numbers and IP address associated with the computer from where access is made.
Those against it say that intercepting citizens’ everyday behavior to help capture a relatively small number of pedophiles is a method classically used by police states. The scheme proposed by this law, to record the user’s information and online history does nothing more than to treat every Internet user as a possible perpetrator and also threatens online privacy and freedom of expression of every American.
The law was thought in such a way that individuals monitored over the Internet don’t have to be under investigation for child pornography, police being permitted to access the data of all those suspected of any illegality.
Furthermore, this data will be checked in civil proceedings also, such as divorce or child custody processes.
The bill has passed by the Commission but has not yet reached the Superior Court.
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