The U.S. House of Representatives this week approved a bill that would make it a federal felony for webmasters to use innocent words like “Barbie” or “Furby” but actually feature sexual content on their sites, according to CNET News.
According to the bill, anyone who includes misleading “words” or “images” intended to confuse a minor into viewing a possibly harmful website could be imprisoned for up to 20 years and fined.
The measure was approved last week by the U.S. Senate and will now head to President George W. Bush for his signature. The president, who already voiced his support of the bill, has scheduled a signing ceremony for tomorrow afternoon on the White House grounds.
A key phrase in the legislation ( click for PDF) promises prison time only if a webmaster has the “intent to deceive” a casual visitor.
“America’s children will be better protected from every parent’s worst nightmare—sexual predators—thanks to passage” of the legislation, said Attorney General Alberto Gonzales in a statement this week.
House Speaker Dennis Hastert, in a statement issued after the House approved the bill by voice vote, said, “We0ve all seen the disturbing headlines about sex offenders and crimes against children. These crimes cannot persist. Protecting our children from Internet predators and child exploitation enterprises are just as high a priority as securing our border from terrorists.”
“What we have here, yet again, is a good intention that’s been distorted into a ridiculous effort,” says Jack Mardack, president of online consultancy site ProfitLabInc.com. “It sounds good on paper that we should do all we can to eliminate overlap on the Web between children and adult material. But, for the government to venture into the realm of language in this way is both a violation of free speech [in practical effect] and ineffectual. What would begin today with just a short list of words could tomorrow be unmanageable—an effect that would be censorship, “Mardak also is a partner in Project Black Book, a monthly print journal focused on interactive marketing and affiliate marketing space.
The 163-page Child Protection and Safety Act represents the most extensive rewriting in a decade of federal laws relating to child pornography, sex offender registration, and child exploitation.
