HB 139

[Jonathan Duncan]

On 24 Jan 2008, at 13:58, Michael Place wrote:

> Rep. Daw,
>
> I was really discouraged to find your name attached to HB 139.
>
> The bill does virtually nothing to protect children and does so much  
> to
> damage Utah's ability to compete as a state which encourages technical
> innovation.
>
> We've seen time and time again that age verification doesn't work.  
> It's
> reminiscent of the disaster COPA was. COPA established a Commission on
> Online Child Protection which released the following statement as a  
> part
> of their report:
>
> “This system’s limitations include the fact that some children have
> access to credit cards, and it is unclear how this system would  
> apply to
> sites outside the U.S. It [age-based credit card verification] is not
> effective at blocking access to chat, newsgroups, or instant  
> messaging.”
>
> Nor would it be effective in any plan to block access by minors to  
> free
> and open WiFi.
>
> I'm deeply concerned that in your effort to protect children, you're
> creating a walled garden for free and open Internet access while at  
> the
> same time, falsely leading parents into a sense of security about the
> safety of their children online.
>
> As I've argued before, a better alternative to this approach would  
> be to
> encourage the AG's office to increase their sponsorship of programs  
> that
> teach children how to use the Internet safely and responsibly.
>
> I am cc:'ing several technical mailing lists in this letter.
>
> I believe that if you reach out to these groups and work with them in
> the spirit of helping to educate children instead of simply hampering
> open Internet access that you'll find a smart and capable community
> willing to work with you.
>
> I urge you to make overtures toward these groups and to refocus your
> efforts toward developing youth programs aimed at education instead of
> broadly targeted, ineffective legislation. Working together we can
> create a very effective educational network and truly help children  
> stay
> safe.
>
> Best,
>
> -Michael Place
> mp at xmission.com
>
>

Speaking of Xmission, someone on UPHPU just showed me this:

http://peteashdown.org/journal/2008/01/24/the-end-of-free-xmission-wireless/