New York Senate bill seeks to end anonymous internet posting

[knowone]

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/technol...end-anonymous-internet-posting-162549128.html

 

[Rhyno17]

The cons definitely outweigh the pros on this one. Yes, it would be great to see these 110 lb kids (and adults) posting messages like they are the toughest people on the planet have to name themselves and eventually stop. But before I even got to the section about it, the first thing I thought of was being stalked. I mean it's easy to deal with someone online. Click ignore. But if you do have to post your name, IP address, etc, how long until you start getting calls at home, your family messed with, etc. I have no problem with posting at least pics of me on the normal sites I use, but sometimes when casually visiting a board...well you know what kind of people you run into. So even if it is some punk kid who would never mess with you in person, it would be annoying to be getting prank calls at 3 a.m. One commenter did suggest a fake email, fake name, proxy server, etc. But not everyone is gonna think of that. Does make me wonder how they know if you're using your real name. Would they just attach the name of whoever the IP address is registered to?

 

[Will E Worm]

If people are using their real name then what about stalkers, third party spam, phone calls, and so on?

This would be a disaster and it is nothing but more control. They have far too much control already.

Also, if this is about copyright laws then there would just be more bootlegs. Like there always has been.

One commenter did suggest a fake email, fake name, proxy server, etc. But not everyone is gonna think of that. Does make me wonder how they know if you're using your real name. Would they just attach the name of whoever the IP address is registered to?

There's a way to fake everything. People will do that. How do people know the letters they recieve in the mail are real?
Could be someone with a fake name or real name (not their's) and someone else's address.

 

[Will E Worm]

From the orginally posted article:

The United States was founded, in part, thanks to Thomas Paine's anonymously written, pro-revolution pamphlet Common Sense.

In effect, the bill is an*online stalker's dream


Critics are quick to point out how dangerous and ineffective the anti-privacy bill would be in the off chance that it somehow passes.* After all, IP addresses do nothing to verify a person's identity, and including your home address on a controversial internet post could open you up to real-life threats.

NY Republicans propose unconstitutional ban on anonymous online comments

UCLA law professor Eugene Volokh told The Daily Caller that the bill is “clearly unconstitutional.”

“The Supreme Court has held for 50 years that anonymous speech is protected,” explained Volokh, pointing to the 1960 case Talley v. California. “This kind of breach of anonymity on demand is just not constitutional.”

“I would love to hear from these legislators. … Presumably at least one of them should be able to speak to the constitutional objections to the statute,” Volokh added.

Article

 

[bobjustbob]

Cyber bullying, the 3rd leading cause of death in New York State behind heart disease and cancer. We must stop this now. Are these NY Senator out of their fucking minds? Say some guy named Cupcake eats meat. I am a vegan and believe he should die in the same cruel way that his porterhouse did. I hammer away at him during this heated debate telling him that he should taste as much of his own blood.

I get a knock at my door. Cuffs slapped on and hard drive grabbed. Seems that Cupcake got his panties wet. No harm was done to Cupcake but mommy couldn't get him out of his room. Is that what these shit heads want to see?

I'm glad I live in NJ. At least the politicians steal our money, not our freedom.

Bobjustbob

 

[Rey C.]

Cyber bullying, the 3rd leading cause of death in New York State behind heart disease and cancer. We must stop this now. Are these NY Senator out of their fucking minds? Say some guy named Cupcake eats meat. I am a vegan and believe he should die in the same cruel way that his porterhouse did. I hammer away at him during this heated debate telling him that he should taste as much of his own blood.

I get a knock at my door. Cuffs slapped on and hard drive grabbed. Seems that Cupcake got his panties wet. No harm was done to Cupcake but mommy couldn't get him out of his room. Is that what these shit heads want to see?

I'm glad I live in NJ. At least the politicians steal our money, not our freedom.

Bobjustbob

Excellent post! Have we become so fragile as people that what we read on the internet could really be a problem that needs legislation?

Maybe it's a generational thing, but IMO "cyber bullying" is a make believe (non) issue.

 

[Trident1]

Banning idiots posing behind Gay Fawlkes masks? Absolutely.

 

[PlasmaTwa2]

Can we just ban the Guy Fawkes masks outright? They're starting to get on my nerves.

 

[Pattheprovo]

It's a constitutional right to troll.

 

[STDiva]

I kind of agree with this. If I threaten someone's life in person, I will get in shit. Why is it different online? You can ignore me in both instances. Steve Blake of the Lakers missed a game winning shot and him and his family received death threats via Twitter. That shouldn't slide. It's one thing to ignore a troll posting lemonparty links, its another to ignore dozens of people threatening violence to you and your family.

The same thing goes for people who throw racial slurs directly at guys like Joel Ward. These people should be outed.