NY Senate Bill to End Anonymous Internet Posting

[MissGoddess]

Hmmm...If passed, makes you wonder how TCM's message board would react to this.

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/technology- ... 49128.html

[Rita Hayworth]

How this bill affect us ... if passed?

[ChiO]

It looks like a bill either to (a) generate a legislative discussion toward drafting a real bill, or (b) generate publicity for the sponsor. The bill is short (two sections, one of which has four short subsections) and contains no provisions for enforcement or penalties for failure to self-enforce.

Of course, there may be some such overarching provisions in the bill's phrase "civil rights law" (and if there are such, that changes everything, but I saw nothing based on a perusal of Article 7 of the New York State Civil Rights Law, which is where this bill would appear to be placed), but (a) I find it hard to imagine how it would pass in its current form, and (b) if it did pass, that it would have any meaningful impact.

As a general propositions, a State law impacts those that have contact with the State or persons (in the broad sense, which includes businesses) within the State. In the cyberworld, that gets complicated. Is it where the Administrator is located, where the server is located, where any member of the forum is located? Ahhhh...this is the area for foolish young law students to focus on. It's the wild, wild West.

ONE SHOULD SEEK ONE'S OWN COUNSEL.

[moira finnie]

It sounds as though this law would be hell to enforce.