--- Date: Tue, 14 May 2002 10:57:01 -0400 From: Jamie McCarthy <jamieat_private> Subject: Re: FC: Replies to Feds getting way serious about "Chat Room Dangers" To: declanat_private In-Reply-To: <5.1.0.14.0.20020508001622.024a87d0at_private> > Previous Politech message: > > "Feds take matters firmly in hand: Hearing on 'Chat Room Dangers'" > http://www.politechbot.com/p-03494.html > Date: Tue, 7 May 2002 12:55:33 -0700 > To: declanat_private > From: Jim Warren <jwarrenat_private> > > >This hearing is entitled "Chatting On-Line: A Dangerous > >Proposition for Children." > > Geee ... with a hearing-title like that ... do ya think maybe > it'll be a biased, prejudicial, "loaded" hearing? Huh? Huh? > Do ya?! <sigh> > > --jim Good news: the hearing was not prejudicial. The topic was how to protect children who chat (and email and IM) online, so that was the thrust of the discussion. But the witnesses mentioned several times how the internet was a great opportunity, and chat was valuable -- and the messages everyone agreed on were just that parents need to be aware of what their children are doing online, and children need to be given the tools they need to protect themselves. As for how the government can help, the only concrete proposals were that law enforcement agencies, especially state and local, need more training and a larger budget to handle child predators online. No new legislation was proposed. In fact, as the witnesses got talking about the importance of parental involvement, Rep. Barr had to remind everyone not once, but twice, that he and Rep. Upton were _lawmakers_ and did anyone want a law passed or anything? My report on the hearing is here: http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=02/05/14/0630258&tid=103 ------------------------------------------------------------------------- POLITECH -- Declan McCullagh's politics and technology mailing list You may redistribute this message freely if you include this notice. To subscribe to Politech: http://www.politechbot.com/info/subscribe.html This message is archived at http://www.politechbot.com/ Declan McCullagh's photographs are at http://www.mccullagh.org/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Like Politech? Make a donation here: http://www.politechbot.com/donate/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------
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