Sexual Predators Use the Mail, Congress Says, "Hey Let's Close Down the Post Office!"

Tuesday May 9, Congress introduced H.R. 5319 which will restrict access by minors and students to social networking sites on the internet. Sites such as Myspace, Friendster, Facebook, and Essembly would be affected by such legislation as would the potential for internet networking by young people. Such networking has been one of the most exciting events of the past few years, from a political observer standpoint.

What does this have to do with popular culture? Considering that mainstream entertainment sites have been integrating material on to the sites and using them to promote artists and television shows, a great deal. One of the moves Fox was developing was My Network Television which would use MySpace as a promotion and distribution vehicle. In other words, Fox was already viewing social networking sites as alternative/supplemental television networks.

UPDATE: Fox and Burger King are partnering to release episodes of 24, Pinks, and First Hand on MySpace.

The implications of the bill are large and the legislation is being rushed through Congress. This is one of those cases where a real world serious problem, pedophiles stalking children via the internet, might lead to questionable policy outcomes. I have yet to decide my thoughts on the regulation of social networking sites, but I do believe that laws rushed through Congress are often not the best thought out legal documents.

If you are upset by the legislation you can go to Mobilize.org and follow the steps they offer. If you are in favor of the legislation, you can follow their recommendations but with opposing content.

What are your thoughts?

Below is a copy of the legislation, the Thomas link (the official government link) is above.

Deleting Online Predators Act of 2006 (Introduced in House)

HR 5319 IH

109th CONGRESS

2d Session

H. R. 5319

To amend the Communications Act of 1934 to require recipients of universal service support for schools and libraries to protect minors from commercial social networking websites and chat rooms.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

May 9, 2006

Mr. FITZPATRICK of Pennsylvania (for himself, Mr. KIRK, Mrs. MILLER of Michigan, Mr. WELDON of Pennsylvania, Mr. ENGLISH of Pennsylvania, Mr. DAVIS of Kentucky, and Mr. CASTLE) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce

A BILL

To amend the Communications Act of 1934 to require recipients of universal service support for schools and libraries to protect minors from commercial social networking websites and chat rooms.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the `Deleting Online Predators Act of 2006'.

SEC. 2. CERTIFICATIONS TO INCLUDE PROTECTIONS AGAINST COMMERCIAL SOCIAL NETWORKING WEBSITES AND CHAT ROOMS.

(a) Certification by Schools- Section 254(h)(5)(B) of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 254(h)(5)(B)) is amended by striking clause (i) and inserting the following:

`(i) is enforcing a policy of Internet safety for minors that includes monitoring the online activities of minors and the operation of a technology protection measure with respect to any of its computers with Internet access that--

`(I) protects against access through such computers to visual depictions that are--

`(aa) obscene;

`(bb) child pornography; or

`(cc) harmful to minors; and

`(II) prohibits access to a commercial social networking website or chat room through which minors--

`(aa) may easily access or be presented with obscene or indecent material;

`(bb) may easily be subject to unlawful sexual advances, unlawful requests for sexual favors, or repeated offensive comments of a sexual nature from adults; or

`(cc) may easily access other material that is harmful to minors; and'.

(b) Certification by Libraries- Section 254(h)(6)(B) of such Act (47 U.S.C. 254(h)(6)(B)) is amended by striking clause (i) and inserting the following:

`(i) is enforcing a policy of Internet safety that includes the operation of a technology protection measure with respect to any of its computers with Internet access that--

`(I) protects against access through such computers to visual depictions that are--

`(aa) obscene;

`(bb) child pornography; or

`(cc) harmful to minors; and

`(II) prohibits access by minors without parental authorization to a commercial social networking website or chat room through which minors--

`(aa) may easily access or be presented with obscene or indecent material;

`(bb) may easily be subject to unlawful sexual advances, unlawful requests for sexual favors, or repeated offensive comments of a sexual nature from adults; or

`(cc) may easily access other material that is harmful to minors; and'.

(c) Definitions- Section 254(h)(7) is amended by adding at the end the following new subparagraphs:

`(J) COMMERCIAL SOCIAL NETWORKING WEBSITES- The term `commercial social networking website' means a commercially operated Internet website that--

`(i) allows users to create web pages or profiles that provide information about themselves and are available to other users; and

`(ii) offers a mechanism for communication with other users, such as a forum, chat room, email, or instant messenger.

`(K) CHAT ROOMS- The term `chat rooms' means Internet websites through which a number of users can communicate in real time via text and that allow messages to be almost immediately visible to all other users or to a designated segment of all other users.'.

(d) Disabling During Adult or Educational Use- Section 254(h)(5)(D) of such Act is amended--

(1) by inserting `OR EDUCATIONAL' after `DURING ADULT' in the heading; and

(2) by inserting before the period at the end the following: `or during use by an adult or by minors with adult supervision to enable access for educational purposes' .

(e) Establishment of Advisory Board- The Federal Communications Commission shall establish an advisory board, which shall consist of 8 members appointed by the Chairman of the Commission. Four of such members shall be representative of the private sector and four of such members shall be representative of the Commission, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, the Crimes against Children Research Center, school boards, and primary and secondary school educators, respectively. The Commission shall provide administrative and clerical support to the advisory board, but members of the board shall serve without compensation. The advisory board shall be terminated at the direction of the Chairman of the Commission.

(f) Publication- After consultation with the advisory board established under subsection (e) and appropriate agencies with experience regarding procedures and actions to prevent minors from being target by adults for predatory behavior, exploitation, or illegal actions, the Federal Communications Commission shall annually publish a list of commercial social networking websites and chat rooms that have been shown to allow sexual predators easy access to personal information of, and contact with, children.

SEC. 3. FTC CONSUMER ALERT ON INTERNET DANGERS TO CHILDREN.

(a) Information Regarding Child Predators and the Internet- Not later than 90 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Federal Trade Commission shall--

(1) issue a consumer alert regarding the potential dangers to children of Internet child predators , including the potential danger of commercial social networking websites and chat rooms through which personal information about child users of such websites may be accessed by child predators ; and

(2) establish a website with a distinctive Uniform Resource Locator to serve as a resource for information for parents, teachers and school administrators, and others regarding the potential dangers posed by the use of the Internet by children, including information about commercial social networking websites and chat rooms through which personal information about child users of such websites may be accessed by child predators .

(b) Commercial Social Networking Websites- For purposes of the requirements under subsection (a), the terms `commercial social networking website' and `chat room' have the meanings given such terms in section 254(h)(7) of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 254(h)(7)), as amended by this Act.

Cinerati: The Origin.

Regular reader, JC Loophole, wanted to know how Cinerati got started and what our superpowers and secret origins are.

Let me turn the dial back on the wayback machine, step into the Tardis, sit in the Time Machine, and wiggle my fingers going "Wheeeooo, wheeeooo" like Wayne and Garth...

We find ourselves in March of 2004, blogs have been around for some time but have yet to "explode" as they will during the 2004 election cycle. Still Christian is far from cutting edge when he decides to band together with a group of friends to create an online community dedicated to the discussion of popular culture. Christian's plan is to have a pop culture version of National Review's Corner or The New Republic's &c. This website is to be a place where conversations occur, among friends, sometime disagreements will arise, but the conversations will be fun and engaging.

With this dream in mind Christian Johnson, calling himself Number One referring to the television series "The Prisoner," looks to his friends to find possible recruits. The first name that comes to mind is John (Jay) Ford. Not only does Jay share a name with one of the great Western film directors, he is also possessed of a vast database of film obscuria. From AIP to Oscar Award winning films, Jay has a vast knowledge of film. Jay was also Christian's writing partner of a Film Critic column in the Sparks Daily Tribune titled "Celluloid Say-So."

Next in Christian's Mind was Sean Mattie and his Wife Elizabeth. Sean and Elizabeth are an intelligent couple who like watching good movies and have strong opinions. Their more "cultured" tastes would serve as a balance for Christian's agressively "pro-low-art as high-art" philosophy. Christian is pretensiously anti-pretension. Sean and Elizabeth were a good, but shortlived addition to the blog.

Next in the line-up was Christian's good friend Rob. Christian and Rob went to "dealer school" in Reno where they both learned how to steal old ladie's Social Security checks for sleazy accountants and old school thugs. Rob and Christian had also played roleplaying games together and both are huge Saints fans. From Tecmo Bowl to Perfect Weapon to D&D, Rob and Christian have had some good times together experiencing pop culture. His inclusion was a natural.

Meanwhile...back at the Ranch.

Any blog would have to include my co-worker Fritz. Fritz has an affection for the movie Hackers and a love of Formula 1 racing. In addition, he is a fan of 2000 AD and would serve, in some capacity, to internationalize the popular culture references at Cinerati.

Christian's wife would be invited, as would his (and his wife's friend) Colleen would round out the "founders."

A quick rundown of the founders is:

Real Name: Christian Johnson
Secret ID: Number One (Christian has since gone public)
Superpowers: Has a Flash Ring, a Green Lantern Ring, and a Phantom "The Ghost Who Walks" Ring. Superspeed, Super Will, and the ability to "Slam Evil."
Skills/Subject Areas: Christian has opinions about everything, even things he knows absolutely nothing about.

Real Name: Sean Mattie and Elizabeth Mattie
Secret IDs: Cinemattie and Elizabeth
Superpowers: Divine Miracles (Cinemattie) and Objectivist Obfuscation (Elizabeth)
Skills/Subject Areas: Movies and Comic Books.

Real Name: John Ford
Secret ID: (Lurker Only)
Superpowers: Ability to channel the Norse hero Hrafenkel gaining superstrength and a big axe. He also has the ability to look cool in Roy Orbison glasses.
Skills/Subject Areas: While Christian has opinions about everything, Jay actually knows some things.

Real Name: Fritz Hemker
Secret ID: Fritz (yes Liberal Avenger his name really is Fritz)
Superpowers: Lived in New York and liked it, Height (like Giant Man), Superstrength and the ability to crush the faces of evil doers with hurled Water Polo balls.

Real Name: Robert Barker
Secret ID: Rob
Superpowers: Ninja Skillset. Rob is the "Dark Knight" of the crew with Snake Eyes and a kick like a Storm's Shadow. He could kick Michael Dudikoff's butt.
Skills/Subject Areas: RPGs, Movies, 80s Television Shows and the Saints Football.

Underfut ("All she has is the power cosmic yet somehow...it is enough") and Colleen (Phoenix Force) wish to remain anonymous.

I Had Hoped For Questions and Answers...

but I guess I'll have to settle for Question and Answer. I only received on question for this week's Q&A, though I hope that number will increase in the future.

How come you never answer email?
-- David N. Scott

That's a good question, at least coming from David. The quick answer...for the same reason I TiVo things.

The slightly longer answer is that I really only have time to check email when I am at work and I have to prioritize emails. Fifteen minute breaks only give so much time for typing and if I want to rush out a blog post, well I have to push some things down the list.

An even longer explanation is that David's emails to me typically involve attending an event organized at his household. I have been to one of his events and it was a very good time, but two things conspire against my being able to give prompt responses to his invitiations. Well, technically one reason, but two subsets of the same reason. The first is that my wife's and I rarely see each other during the week. Unlike David and his wife Julie, my wife an I work in different towns, let alone different businesses. But that's Southern California for you. I work for a non-profit in Glendora and she works for a writer on the Paramount lot as you can see these aren't next door. But the distance is only a part of the reason I don't see my wife often. The second is that working in the entertainment industry requires a lot of hours. Her current job isn't as bad a William Morris, or when she was working on a small movie, but it is very time consuming. End result is...I make sure to get my daily hour and a half of conversation time with my wife. Sometimes this means staying up late, but it is always worth it.

What about the time I am waiting? I read at the local Starbucks, cook dinner, work on school papers, or watch baseball while reading.

The second reason, an extension of the first as I said, is that I don't know my wife's schedule on a regular basis. Sometimes I don't even know my own. Things can come up at a moments notice and alter our plans. I don't like to commit to events/fun if I don't know if I will be able to or not. Oh, and since weekends are the only time I get to see my wife for more than my joyous hour and a half, I have to see if she can/wants to attend event x with our limited time. She's a nice person and wants to take into consideration all of our possible activities. Thus I can't often answer til the last minute or sometimes not at all due to the whole lack of time thing.

Why is (blank) on the Blogroll? (part 1)

That's a good question. From time to time, I am swamped with email from people wondering why I have selected the blogs I have for my blogroll. The short answer is that it's pretty random. A slightly longer answer is that these are either sites I read somtimes, or whose "users" (that's a Tron term) have visited/linked out site. Some I read for fun, some I read because they are filled with useful advice (hopefully the advice is as useful as that in this Strong Bad Email about Death Metal, some just because.

The longest answer follows:

A Knight's Blog (which I can't get to load today) is on there because it is a medievalist and modern politics blog written by a Dragonlance fan.

Advice Goddess is the blog of Amy Alkon a syndicated advice columnist who Fritz likes to read in the way people who like to yell at the radio listen to talk radio. Amy has spoken at some events I have organized and has prompted some interesting discussions among the students I work with.

Annika's Journal -- I have no idea. It might not be linked tommorrow.

Barone Blog -- Michael Barone's blog, if you can call what is essentially an online opinion column by a Mainstream Media Outlet a blog, especially when it is attached to their formal website.

Blogging LA -- I live in Los Angeles. Actually, I used to live in Los Angeles, now I live in Glendale.

Cathy's World -- If I only linked one other blog this would be it. I read it as much for the comments as the actual posts, maybe even more for the comments.

Da Goddess is there because she is a blogcritics editor and because, at one time, she linked us. Now that she doesn't link us...

Daily Kos -- because it's Daily "I hate Peter Beinart but isn't it cool he recommended my book" Kos.

Daly Thoughts linked us but appear dead in the water.

Day by Day is an online cartoon that is conservative in nature and includes a blog-esque section.

Delicious! Delicious! is my struggling, and hopeful, screenwriter friend Caryn's food blog. She was a classmate of my wife's at USC.

DISContent -- because he is a mad pulp bastard who writes about, and for, the direct to DVD industry and where the film industry is headed.

Fruits and Votes is a very well written analytical blog by a San Diego Professor. His comments on current politics might make him seem liberal, but his ideas for election reform models show a more complete picture. Oh, and he writes about fruits I have never heard of before.

Gaze Theory -- SoCal blogger who used to link us, but who has probably written us off due to geekitude.

Got Medieval is a Medievalist blogger who likes to look at uses of the word medieval in mass culture and then pick them apart.

Okay, that's it for now. Jeesh.

First Time Friday Q&A Solicitation

David Scott, over at Pererro, has a neat tradition going on over at his website. Actually, I think it's his wife who has the tradition, but I like it and I want to adopt it.

So, for the first time ever (dum-dum-duuuum) I will take questions from all comers that I will answer on Friday. You can email the questions to me at imjaygatz at aol.com. You can ask me any question and I will try to respond.

Thanks again.

Ia! Ia! Cthulhu Fhtagn! Movie Based on Lovecraft's Writing Has Trailer on Internet...Madness Ensues.

There have been many movies based on the writings of Howard Philips Lovecraft, most of them lacking the truly eerie qualities of Lovecraft's weird tales. In fact, horror films and science fiction films with little or nothing to do with Lovecraft have often done better at representing the themes Lovecraft addresses in his writings.

Lovecraft fans have had to endure:

Die, Monster, Die -- a theatrical version of Colour Out of Space.
The Dunwich Horror -- Roger Corman AIP Production.
Reanimator -- A cult classic, and fun sure, but not exactly horrifying.
The Unnamable -- The less said the better.
From Beyond -- I wish it had stayed there.

Sure there are many more, but I have seen the films above and they have played their little games with my psyche. Surely nothing could be as Unspeakable as Unnamable

Now Lovecraft fans have Cthulhu. All I have to say is that my first glance at the trailer made me think the film might be enjoyable, but then I saw the madness bringing work of the Old Ones had indeed infected this film. For the film's cast includes Tori Spelling. If that doesn't require a Sanity Check...nothing does.

Ia! Ia! Cthulhu Fhtagn!

The Adventures of Doctor McNinja

It has often been asked whether Pirates were cooler than Ninjas (even on Bones, but we now know that we no longer have to ask which is cooler Doctors or Ninjas. That is because we can read the Adventures of Doctor McNinja!

Who knew?