U.S. District Judge Lowell Reed's temporary restraining order on the Child Online Protection Act (COPA), making distribution of material "harmful to minors" by "commercial" Web sites a crime, was extended this week to Feb. 1, 1999. \n The new law (COPA) would require "commercial" Web sites to collect a credit card number or use other means for positive age identification before allowing users to access material that may be deemed "harmful to minors". Web site operators that don't face fines up to $50,000 and up to six months in jail. \n A hearing on the preliminary injunction has been set for Jan. 20 - 22, 1999. The same court struck down the Communications Decency Act (CDA) of 1996. The District Court's ruling was later upheld by the Supreme Court. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and other free-speech advocates have challenged the new law, representing 17 plaintiffs. They argue that COPA will restrict free-speech guarantees and useful online information. \n Last week, in an unrelated case, a federal judge in Virginia delayed efforts by a county library to block Net access to sexually explicit materials on library computers. She called the Loudoun County library board's decision unconstitutional, and said its software also blocked Web sites about topics such as sex education, for adults as well as kids. \n For more information on this case check out the ACLU' Web site at http://www.aclu.org. You can even fax or email Attorney General Janet Reno right from the ACLU's website and urge her not to enforce COPA.
All models were at least 18 years old at the time of their performance. 18 U.S.C. 2257 Record-Keeping Requirements Compliance Statement.
