Courts squash Child Online Protection Act

Tag : Circuit Protection

Ten years after the passing of the Child Online Protection Act thelaw has again been ruled unconstitutional by the courts.
The Third US Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia upheld a 2007decision that the Act was overly broad and that parental monitoringsoftware and filtering software was a better way to protectchildren.
 
"For years the government has been trying to thwart freedom ofspeech on the internet, and for years the courts have been findingthe attempts unconstitutional," said Chris Hansen, seniorstaff attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union FirstAmendment Working Group.
 
"The government has no more right to censor the internet thanit does books and magazines."

The Child Online Protection Act was introduced by Bill Clinton inan attempt to regulate pornography on the internet. It requirescommercial sites in the US not to publish "material harmful tominors".

The court system has consistently ruled that the law violates theFirst Amendment and limits free speech.