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Den amerikanska DOPA-lagstiftningen (Deleting Online Predators Act), som syftar till att förbjuda sociala nätverkstjänster i skolor och bibliotek, nämndes snabbt i maj när förslaget lades fram. Förra veckan röstades lagförslaget igenom i kongressen och väntas passera senaten denna vecka. The Guardian skriver idag:

"This legislation is the first of its kind to address the growing use of social networking sites by sexual predators," said Michael Fitzpatrick, a Republican congressman and the bill's sponsor. "My bill will help parents protect their kids when they are not home."

The ban is not aimed at particular sites, but defines the kind of sites the Federal Communications Commission would be obliged to ban as: commercial entities that permit users to create online profiles with highly personal information and their own online journal, and which enable communication among users.

Update: American Library Association är kritiska till lagstiftningen, som drabbar biblioteken:

• The terminology used in DOPA is still overly broad and unclear.
• DOPA still ignores the value of Interactive Web applications.
• Education, not laws blocking access, is the key to safe use of the Internet.
• Local decision-making - not federal law - is the way to solve the problems addressed by DOPA.
• DOPA would restrict access to technology in the communities that need public access most.