NY State Republicans Seek To End Online Anonymous Comments

NY State Republicans Seek To End Online Anonymous Comments
(addictinginfo.org)

A new bill being presented in New York State, the Internet Protection Act would force people who make online comments to identify themselves, or have their comments removed. It purports to address the very real problem of ‘cyber-bullying,’ but in reality is a pitiable attempt to protect businesses from online consumers negatively discussing their goods and services:

The bill is the Internet Protection Act, SO 6779
(assembly.state.ny.us)

The text of the bill reads:

AN ACT to amend the civil rights law, in relation to protecting a person's right to know who is behind an anonymous internet posting

Sen. Tom O'Mara introduces the bill here:
Senator O'Mara introduces the "Internet Protection Act" at an Albany news conference

Link to YT page if you want to read the comments (they're hilarious!)

New York Republicans want to remove anonymity from the internet, and want to censor the internet by removing postings made by people who refuse to be identified.

While 'anonymous' comments are annoying, I find this bill as an invasion of privacy. So what if people don't want to be identified. ATS users are more or less anonymous. "Cyber-bullying?" What's this? Is there not an 'OFF' or 'DELETE' button on all computers or devices that have internet access?

Sometimes the most hilarious comments are left by 'Anonymous.'

Why did he need all those people to stand behind him, what were they doing there ?
Protection from cyber-bullying my A*s*. More political control disguised as something for good.
Seen it all before !!

And how do they propose to enforce this bill? Will they set up a "Great Firewall of New York," like China has and control/limit my access to websites on the Web that do not comply (I live in Brooklyn, so this affects me directly).

It is not for cyber bullying but rather identifying dissenters who do not go with the party. How many times have you posted a comment on CNN or MSNBC that was not liked and then subsequently erased. Do not fall for the 'your own safety' tricks.

reply to post by LifeInDeath


They can't enforce, it but it gives them and the corporate backers of this bill the ability to remove any comments from any Web site they deem to be negative or critical of a company, if the Web site doesn't turn over the identity of the poster.

reply to post by THE_PROFESSIONAL


Yeah, it's Standard Operation Procedure for bills like this one, they make big family-friendly headlines calling it a "Cyber-Bullying Bill", like it's really about protecting kiddies from bullying (and who would be against that, right?) but when you read the bill, it's really about giving corporate Amerika the right to go into any Web site and identify an anonymous poster or have their comments scrubbed or censored.

Nice try really to blame the Republicans!

But New Yorks State legislature is split with Democratic majority in the assembly and Republicans have a small majority in the Senate.

In the New York state assembly the Democrats have 109-41 super majority in the Senate the Republicans have a 2 seat lead 32-30

Wasn't that great that the author left that out of the article go on those evil righting created a bill that will never pass the Assembly and will never be voted on in the Senate...

Unless all those Democrats who have the super majority pass it.

reply to post by neo96


Every single sponsor of this bill is a REPUBLICAN. Yet here you are, right on cue, trying to shift the blame to anybody else.

Republican Sponsors:
Senator Tom O'Mara (R, C-Big Flats)
GOP Assemblyman Dean Murray (R-East Patchogue)

Republican Cosponsors:
Boyle, Graf, Montesano, Tenney, Conte, Duprey, Johns, Finch, Calhoun, Curran, Corwin, Saladino, McDonough, Hanna, Rabbitt, Ra, Jordan, Losquadro, Fitzpatrick, Palmesano, Friend.

The bill states:

S T A T E O F N E W Y O R K
___________

6779
I N S E N A T E
March 21, 2012
___________

Introduced by Sen. O'MARA -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Codes

AN ACT to amend the civil rights law, in relation to protecting a person's right to know who is behind an anonymous internet posting

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEMBLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

Section 1. The civil rights law, is amended by adding a new section 79-o to read as follows:
S 79-O. ANONYMOUS INTERNET POSTER; RIGHT TO KNOW. 1. DEFINITIONS. AS USED IN THIS SECTION, THE FOLLOWING WORDS AND TERMS SHALL HAVE THE FOLLOWING MEANINGS:

(A) ANONYMOUS POSTER IS ANY INDIVIDUAL WHO POSTS A MESSAGE ON A WEB SITE INCLUDING SOCIAL NETWORKS, BLOGS FORUMS, MESSAGE BOARDS OR ANY OTHER DISCUSSION SITE WHERE PEOPLE CAN HOLD CONVERSATIONS IN THE FORM OF POSTED MESSAGES.

(B) "WEB SITE ADMINISTRATOR" MEANS ANY PERSON OR ENTITY THAT IS RESPONSIBLE FOR MAINTAINING A WEB SITE OR MANAGING THE CONTENT OR DEVELOPMENT OF INFORMATION PROVIDED ON A WEB SITE INCLUDING SOCIAL NETWORKS, BLOGS FORUMS, MESSAGE BOARDS OR ANY OTHER DISCUSSION SITE WHERE PEOPLE CAN HOLD CONVERSATIONS IN THE FORM OF POSTED MESSAGES, ACCESSIBLE VIA A NETWORK SUCH AS THE INTERNET OR A PRIVATE LOCAL AREA NETWORK.

(C) "INTERNET" MEANS THE GLOBAL SYSTEM OF INTERCONNECTED COMPUTER NETWORKS THAT USE THE INTERNET PROTOCOL.

(D) "INTERNET PROTOCOL ADDRESS" OR "IP ADDRESS" MEANS A NUMERICAL LABEL ASSIGNED TO EACH COMPUTER OR DEVICE PARTICIPATING IN A COMPUTER NETWORK THAT USES THE INTERNET PROTOCOL FOR COMMUNICATION.

2. A WEB SITE ADMINISTRATOR UPON REQUEST SHALL REMOVE ANY COMMENTS POSTED ON HIS OR HER WEB SITE BY AN ANONYMOUS POSTER UNLESS SUCH ANONYMOUS POSTER AGREES TO ATTACH HIS OR HER NAME TO THE POST AND CONFIRMS THAT HIS OR HER IP ADDRESS, LEGAL NAME, AND HOME ADDRESS ARE ACCURATE. ALL WEB SITE ADMINISTRATORS SHALL HAVE A CONTACT NUMBER OR E-MAIL ADDRESS POSTED FOR SUCH REMOVAL REQUESTS, CLEARLY VISIBLE IN ANY SECTIONS WHERE COMMENTS ARE POSTED.

S 2. This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall have become a law.

Internet Protection Act to prohibit anonymous online comments in New York
(syracuse.com)

Republicans in New York seek to ban free speech on the internet
(examiner.com)

Free speech is under attack by Republicans in the New York. State Senator Tom O'Mara, and Assemblyman Dean Murray are currently sponsoring legislation that would disallow anonymous website postings. They claim to be doing this in the name of protecting children. Under the proposed law all who post messages on any type of forum, blog, message board or other service would be required to confirm to the website owner that their IP address, home address, and legal name are all accurate.

This is another Republican-sponsored attack against our basic rights, it is unconstitutional and against the first amendment.

reply to post by neo96

But New Yorks State legislature is split with Democratic majority in the assembly and Republicans have a small majority in the Senate.

And?

We all know many Democrats are corporate funded, how is that surprising? Blackmarketeer stands for the regular guy, you stand for yourself.

reply to post by Blackmarketeer


So people need to get their damn stories straight first they say corporations write laws then they turn around and say lobbyists write laws and now the creme de la creme.

Your sitting there saying Congressman actually write laws.

Pick one.

And:

n the New York state assembly the Democrats have 109-41 super majority

Who cares?

reply to post by neo96

So people need to get their damn stories straight first they say corporations write laws then they turn around and say lobbyists

Who the hell do you think is funding the lobbyists?

reply to post by neo96


You're making all sorts of illogical and off-tangent arguments.

n the New York state assembly the Democrats have 109-41 super majority

Which has WHAT to do with the fact that THIS BILL was written and sponsored by the REPUBLICANS?

THIS BILL clearly shows who is AGAINST the citizens and who is FOR Corporate Amerika.

Do you like this bill? Do you defend it? Do you agree with the Republican legislature that wrote it, that online posters must divulge the name, phone number, email address and home address to be able to post comments?

reply to post by neo96


IT IS TIME TO DO AWAY WITH THE PARTISAN POLITICS AND DO WHAT IS RIGHT FOR AMERICA!



[color=#FF0000]Beware of Democrats and Republicans!! They are all PROFESSIONAL POLITICIANS. Millionaires and lawyers looking out for themselves and their kin while screwing the average American. Americans can never be free until they rid themselves of CRIMINAL GANGSTERS who have to band together in bands called parties which are no better than MS13, The Latin Kings, or any other number of illegal criminal enterprises that prey on the weak and unwary.

Americans need to elect CITIZEN STATESMEN who are not beholding to criminal gangsters who give them backing and financing.
[color=#FFFFFF]
CITIZEN STATESMEN who are not PROFESSIONAL POLITICIANS and who love America more than they love power and money.

CITIZEN STATESMEN who will represent us instead of Lobbyists for corporations who ply them with under the table cash and benefits.

CITIZEN STATESMEN who will represent us instead of RULING OVER US.

[color=#3333FF]Democrats and Republicans are two sides of the same coin. It is a dirty, soiled currency backed by graft and greed that will no longer purchase honest representation for the American voter and taxpayer.

The true patriot is not the man who defends a corrupt government. The true patriot is the man who defends the Constitution from that corrupt government.

reply to post by groingrinder


Sorry i am suppose to sit here and bash the evi GOP who wrote a bill that will never get passed in a democratic majority.

Yes Yes!!

Evil Gopers.

Meh

reply to post by neo96


Maybe you should hold them accountable for their words - the Republican legislature in NY wrote this bill and they obviously intend for this bill to pass. I don't see any Democrat names attached to that bill - just REPUBLICANS.

On principle alone, they need to be chastised for even conceiving of this bill which is a direct affront to the US Constitution.

If it fails (and hopefully it will), then you can thank the Democratic majority in the NY Assembly, since apparently it's up to them to stop this bill in it's tracks.

reply to post by Blackmarketeer


Why should I?

Do i live in New York?

No.

Only when we stop electing Democrats and Republican will we ever be truly represented in government. Democrats and Republicans vote the party line. Democrats and Republicans have demonstrated their loyalty to big business and their disloyalty to the constituency time and again. I do not understand how you people can fall for the BS over and over. There has been no time in the last 60 years that the average American has been truly prosperous. But Democrats and Republicans have made darn sure that the defense contractors and arms suppliers and other business entities they hold stock in are well taken care of by our tax dollars.

reply to post by neo96


Today the NY State Republican's attacked online anonymity...
Tomorrow it will the Kansas or Texas legislature trying to remove our right to free speech.

The heat from the outrage brought against the NY Assembly is about the only thing that would keep another state's assembly from trying to pass the same gestapo-like legislation in their home turf.

But hey, like you said, you don't care.