Kids and young teens won’t be able to use school or library computers to access MySpace — or much of anything else, if recently introduced legislation is passed by Congress. According to Business Week, the Deleting Online Predators Act (DOPA) (full text here) will prevent kids at school and library public computers from accessing any site that

allow(s) “users to create Web pages or profiles that provide information about themselves and are available to other users” and offer “a mechanism of communication with other users, such as a forum, chat room, e-mail, or instant messenger.”

That could rule out content from any number of Internet companies, including Yahoo! (YHOO) and Google (GOOG). What’s more, DOPA would prohibit sites that enable users to create their own content and share it. That covers a wide swath of the online world, known colloquially as Web 2.0, where users actively create everything from blogs to videos to news-page collections.

Basically any sites with two-way communication would be banned unless it was almost certain a kid would not come into contact with anything “harmful to minors.”

This is overreaching. If the kids are old enough to use the school or library computer without supervision, they’re old enough for their parents to have explained how to be careful online. They already know not to talk to strangers in trenchcoats. They need to use the same care on the internet.

Kids also clearly need to be taught not to put personally identifiable information online.

But is limiting access at these public computers going to do anything but create hassles for the people who manage them? If a kid doesn’t have access to their own computer, they’ll get around the ban by using a friend’s computer instead. And they’ll soon (if they aren’t already) be accessing MySpace on their cell phone. Meanwhile, librarians will be checking ID to see if someone’s old enough to IM.

Filtering software? OK. Education programs? Yes. But ban access to two-way communication? Too far for too little.

If you agree, you can contact Congressman Fitzpatrick here.

—
Apparently just having become aware of 50 million member MySpace, DOPA sponsor Congressman Michael Fitzpatrick (R-PA) may have never heard of Web 2.0 at all. One East Coast VC did a reality check and found

I asked a bunch of local (Philly-area) acquaintances and the answer came back loud and clear: none – nada – zip. People here have barely heard of Myspace and Craigslist – let alone any of the ‘hot’ Web 2.0 companies.

(h/t: Good Morning Silicon Valley)

Technorati Tags: Web 2.0

This entry was posted on Friday, May 12th, 2006 at 5:30 pm by A Senior Administration Official and is filed under Your Tax Dollars In Action. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.