Congress errs in bid to ensure safe surfing

CONGRESS ERRS IN BID TO ENSURE SAFE SURFING
[SOURCE: San Jose Mercury News, AUTHOR: Editorial Staff]
[Commentary] The Delete Online Predators Act (DOPA), which the U.S. House of Representatives passed by an overwhelming margin last week, is a great political stunt but will do little to protect children. Worse, it is written so broadly that it could force schools and libraries to censor mainstream Web sites and chat rooms run by the likes of Microsoft, Yahoo and even newspapers such as the Mercury News. The Senate should kill the bill and think more carefully about how to address the serious problem of online child predators. The bill is part of the so-called Suburban Agenda, a package of legislation pushed by Republican leaders ahead of the November election to shore up lawmakers in vulnerable districts. Not surprisingly, hardly anyone had the courage to vote against it, lest they be accused of being soft on sexual predators. It passed by a 410-15 majority. As an act of political theater, that may be effective. As an exercise in public policy, trading broad censorship for a false sense of security is deplorable.
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/opinion/15187423.htm