Can You Spell D-O-P-E-S?

CNET's Declan McCullagh broke the story that Rep. Michael Fitzpatrick (R-PA) has introduced a bill that would ban access to social networking sites (and virtually any other site where users contribute content) in public access locations such as libraries and schools. 

The bill, called DOPA for the Deleting Online Predators Act, has been endorsed by House Speaker Hastert.  McCullagh has posted a copy of the bill here.  The bill is clearly in response to alarmist stories on the news about predators targeting MySpace, Facebook and other social networking sites to identify and engage potential targets.  The definition of social networking is quite broad: "...commercially operated Internet website that allows users to create web pages or profiles that provide information about themselves and are available to other users and offers a mechanism of communication with other users, such as a forum, chat room, e-mail, or instant messenger."  The way I read that, it could ban users from reading blogs that allowed comments, or even Flickr or Wikipedia.

While I am not surprised at this knee jerk reaction, it's just disappointing to see Congress jump into things that they clearly do not have an understanding of.  You don't protect children from online predators by reducing their access to the Internet any more than you would protect them from offline predators by banning children from parks and schools.

If the United States is to remain competitive economically, it's critical that we, as a society, embrace technology.  While the Government challenges the science of Global Warming and Evolution, the one bright area for the U.S. in the sciences has been our continued innovation in the technology field.  Between this DOPA bill and the COPE Act - telecom/cable efforts to charge a premium for Internet access, Congress is on the verge of mucking up the entrepreneurial innovation engine of the Internet.

I would like to propose a new Act; I call it No Congressmen Left Behind.  It would require all members of Congress and their staffs to demonstrate proficiency in the basics of the Internet before they would be allowed to vote on any issue that impacts its use.  I urge you to contact your Representatives and tell them to oppose both COPE and DOPA.

In the meantime, if you have children, take a few minutes to look at their MySpace page.  Ask them to show you their FaceBook listing.  Have a mature and intelligent dialog with them about the risks of sharing too much information on the Internet.  Help them understand the boundaries.  MySpace and FaceBook are not the problem.  And ignorance is clearly not the solution.