(2006-05-17) Blocking Kids From Social Networking

US Congress dufus Michael Fitzpatrick proposed a bill (DOPA), supported by members of a coalition of Republicans (Republican Party) calling itself the SuburbanCaucus, (that) would oblige schools and libraries that receive federal support to implement systems that prevent minors from viewing obscene and objectionable material online. Parental authorization would be required for students to access chat rooms and Social Networking sites, which are defined to include everything from sites like MySpace and FaceBook to Instant Messaging services and Discussion Forum-s.

Update: Danah Boyd and Henry Jenkins discuss the issues.

Jul27 update: DOPA passed by a huge margin in the House Of Representatives.

Feb'2007: it never got through the US Senate in 2006. But it's been re-introduced by Ted Stevens.