McCain playing politics with blogs...

From American Progress:

TECHNOLOGY -- McCAIN PROPOSES CRACKING DOWN ON BLOGS:

New legislation by Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) would require commercial websites and personal blogs to "report illegal images or videos posted by their users or pay fines of up to $300,000."

While Internet service providers already have to follow these requirements, McCain's proposal would impose the "same regulatory scheme -- and even stiffer penalties -- on even individual bloggers who offer discussion areas on their Web sites."

Kevin Bankston, an attorney with the Electronic Frontier Foundation is "concerned that there is a slippery slope here," noting, "Once you start creating categories of industries that must report suspicious or criminal behavior, when does that stop?"

Additionally, social networking sites will be forced to take "effective measures" to remove any website that is "associated" with a sex offender. Such sites will include not only Facebook and MySpace, but also Amazon.com, which permits author profiles and personal lists, and blogs like DailyKos, which allows users to sign up for personal diaries.

"This constitutionally dubious proposal is being made apparently mostly based on fear or political considerations rather than on the facts," said Bankston.

"Studies by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children show the online sexual solicitation of minors has dropped in the past five years, despite the growth of social-networking services, he said."

Wrap...