New York Republican State Senator Thomas O'Mara wants to force anonymous internet posters to surrender their right to anonymous free speech.
[Image Source: Thomas O'Mara]
Republican!!!!!
Posted on 05/27/2012 4:18:16 PM PDT by bkopto
All users posting to websites would have to post their real name and address, non-compliant posts would be axed
When people think anonymity, Anonymous and their iconic Guy Fawkes masks often pop into mind these days. But long before the members of that controversial hacker collective were a mere twinkle in their mothers' eyes, another anti-authoritarian rabble-rouser was using anonymous protest to stir up revolt against a totalitarian ruling elite. His name was Thomas Paine, and his anonymously published work Common Sense helped ignite the colonists in revolution against Britain.
I. Want to Post? Put Your Legal Name and Address Here!
Yet today in the country that Thomas Paine's anonymous writings helped to give birth to, a country in which speech is supposedly free, something alarming is happening. Several states are looking to outlaw online anonymity.
New York is among them. The State Senate is contemplating Bill S6779 a measure that would force users to post (and verify) their home address, IP address, and legal name in any post they make online.
That's right; New York is considering laying waste to privacy and anonymous speech in the name of "preventing" online bullying. The bill describes:
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.
It's unclear exactly how much support the bill has in the State Senate. It was introduced just over two months ago by Sen. Thomas F. O'Mara (R—Big Flats).
(Excerpt) Read more at dailytech.com ...
I vote republican because they get it right part of the time. And sometimes, like this, a republican is just plain wrong.
How often does a democrat did anything right? There is the rare case when they do something a conservative would do without a second thought. (Like that "brave" decision to take out Bin Laden.) Even a broken clock is right twice a day.
There is a terrible temptation to vote third party or stay home. That just helps elect a worse democrat.
I vote republican because they get it right part of the time. And sometimes, like this, a republican is just plain wrong.
How often does a democrat do anything right? There is the rare case when they do something a conservative would do without a second thought. (Like that "brave" decision to take out Bin Laden.) Even a broken clock is right twice a day.
There is a terrible temptation to vote third party or stay home. That just helps elect a worse democrat.
Not exactly the biggest secret in town though.
-PJ
Republican!!!!!
IF a hundred million people post en masse and often, posting their real names and addresses each time, even the tyrannical Obama administration will be overwhelmed.
However, anonymity is necessary for the ordinary citizen who is at the mercy of Holder and his “people”.
That would have an additional side-benefit — if your address is a cemetery, then they'll assume you're a Democrat voter...
Camouflage
I don’t know about the Internet, but my garage door keypad code is #-U-C-K-O-#-#.
Figures it comes out of America’s first police state, New York.
Good luck with that new yorkers.. lol I dont plan on posting via my real name and address ANYWHERE On the web ever.
Folks probably ought to dig around and see what the coward wants to hide.
You think it’s easy to get a post office box? Try it.
Haven’t needed to change addresses for 21 years...but mine is a PO Box, no hassle “back then”.
“It’s unclear exactly how much support the bill has in the State Senate. It was introduced just over two months ago by Sen. Thomas F. O’Mara (R—Big Flats).”
O’Mara needs to be primaried, as does any state Senator who supports this.
NY ping.
I’d like to know what Mr. O’Mara is so afraid of. Sounds like someone knows something and he wants to make sure that it can’t leak out without him knowing the source.
Only criminals and cowards fear free speech and RKBA.
“However, anonymity is necessary for the ordinary citizen who is at the mercy of Holder and his “people”.”
...and employers. This is the government’s way of completely shutting down “unofficial communications”; they don’t want people communicating online (Tunisians overthrew their government with electronic communications). They want people to receive their news through the official mouthpieces, with no further discussion (or “Buckhead” moments).
Any government that attempts to disrupt anonymous postings should be overthrown.
American peasantry will eventually react by communicating more privately in other ways.
Instead of this idea, why not focus on voter ID?
And violate my right to privacy, while disenfranchising me? /s
Ben Franklin wrote under the name Silence Dogood though I think he would agree that the government trying to silence citizens is not good.
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