Snip from a CNET News.com report by Declan McCullagh:
Web site operators posting sexually explicit information must place official government warning labels on their pages or risk being imprisoned for up to five years, the Bush administration proposed Thursday.
A mandatory rating system will "prevent people from inadvertently stumbling across pornographic images on the Internet," Attorney General Alberto Gonzales said at an event in Alexandria, Va.
The Bush administration's proposal would require commercial Web sites to place "marks and notices" to be devised by the Federal Trade Commission on each sexually explicit page. The definition of sexually explicit broadly covers depictions of everything from sexual intercourse and masturbation to "sadistic abuse" and close-ups of fully clothed genital regions.
Link. Many responses brewing, including this one from the Internet Content Rating Association (ICRA):
[W]e vigorously oppose an added measure included in the draft bill which would require Web sites with sexually explicit material — material that is legal, but potentially harmful to minors — to use a government-mandated labeling system. ICRA strongly believes that self- regulation of legal Internet content leads to the best balance between the free flow of digital content and the protection of children from potentially harmful material.
Link.
And ISPs are squarely in the crosshairs on this one. Snip from Red Herring article:
“The investigation and prosecution of child predators depends critically on the availability of evidence that is often in the hands of Internet service providers,” he said. “This evidence will be available for us to use only if the providers retain the records for a reasonable amount of time.
“Unfortunately, the failure of some Internet service providers to keep records has hampered our ability to conduct investigations in this area,” he added.
Mr. Gonzales said he has asked experts at the DOJ to examine the issue and provide him with recommendations. He plans to ask the heads of the major ISPs to cooperate with the effort.
