Trying to Bring DOPA Back
May 7, 2008
If sites like Second Life won't protect kids from obviously inappropriate content, the Congress will.
That quote is from Rep. Mark Kirk (R-IL), who held a press conference in his Illinois district yesterday to "call for federal action to protect kids from child predators and registered sex offenders" on social networking sites and in virtual worlds. Internet safety continues to be a hot-button topic, especially since it's an election year, and Congressman Kirk seems to have set his sights on Linden Lab's Second Life.
In February of last year, Congressman Kirk reintroduced the infamous Deleting Online Predators Act (DOPA), a version of which passed the House in July 2006 by a vote of 410-15 but died in the Senate. As you may recall, DOPA sought to restrict minors' access to social networking sites and chat rooms in libraries and schools that received federal funding, unless the sites were being used for an educational purpose with adult supervision.
In renewing his call for DOPA-like measures, Rep. Kirk also sent a letter to Federal Trade Commission chairman William Kovacic, urging him to advise parents about the "dangers and sexually explicit content found on Second Life." The full text of that letter can be read in the Congressman's press release, and Anne Broache of News.com has this report.
Tags:
Congress, DOPA, Internet Regulation, Internet safety, Mark Kirk, Second Life, Virtual Worlds
