DOPA is the Deleting Online Predators Act, and it passed the House of Representative on July 27, 2006, and now moves on to the Senate for a vote. The American Library Association (ALA) website explains what DOPA is:
"DOPA is short for the Deleting Online Predators Act, the name given to H.R. 5319, which requires schools and libraries to block access to a broad selection of web content including "commercial Web sites that let users create Web pages or profiles or offer communication with other users via forums, chat rooms, e-mail or instant messaging." The bill blocks users from accessing sites like MySpace from schools or libraries, as well as access to a wide array of other content and technologies such as instant messaging, online email, wikis, and blogs."
According to CBSnews.com’s Larry Magid, DOPA is ”a well-meaning but ill-conceived piece of Internet safety legislation that could actually make the Internet a more dangerous place for children and teens”. In his report, "House Misfires On Internet Safety," Mr. Magid does an excellent job of explaining why this is not the best piece of legislation. He has been working on Internet Safety issues since 1993. He wrote "Child Safety on the Information Highway" for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and is on the board. He also runs SafeKids.com and SafeTeens.com, and is co-director of BlogSafety.com. Because of Mr. Magid’s background, he is highly qualified to analyze the effectiveness of DOPA. The following are a few of the reasons why Mr. Magid does not like the DOPA legislation:
1. Rather than “‘deleting’ online predators, it deletes the ability of schools and libraries to determine whether kids can constructively take advantage of social networking and other interactive services that are extremely popular among teens.”
2. It "lumps social networking sites and chat rooms with previously blocked sites that are obscene or contain child pornography, as if social networking was somehow the same as those horrendous sites."
3. The bill does not address “deleting” predators. It does nothing to increase the penalties of the criminals who prey on children, but rather punishes the potential victims and libraries and other institutions by denying access to social networking programs.
- I love this comparison, “It would be like trying to protect children from being injured or killed by drunk drivers by ruling that kids can no longer walk, ride a bike or even ride in a car or bus to school.”
DOPA does not address the real need to educate children, teens and adults about the safe use of the Internet. Librarians should take great interest in this legislation because they could be greatly hampered by it.
To read more about the pitfalls of DOPA and the advantages of social networking, read Larry Magid’s report at http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/08/01/scitech/pcanswer/main1853357.shtml
To read more about the American Library Association’s position on DOPA and its five key points, visit the ALA website at: http://www.ala.org/ala/washoff/WOissues/techinttele/dopa/DOPA.htm
3 comments:
Thanks for your overview! This was a great summary of this issue!
That is a great comparison!
A little off-topic, but I'm concerned about the idea that internet use in libraries is supervised. Where I used to work, and in other libraries, from what I've heard, the library takes care to make parents aware that we are NOT watching what their children are doing on the internet, that that is their responsibility. Yes, we can assist the kids by having informational programs, but we cannot tag along for every venture into the web.
I sat right next to the public computer at my library, primarily to save steps as it froze or malfunctioned frequently, but also close enough that if obscene photos showed up, I could assist. But if a child accessed their email, or a networking site, unless I was reading every word, how could I know if they were in a dangerous situation?
The key is education, not creating a false sense of security. There are predators - thieves, bullies, and worse - everywhere, and we need to teach our kids to be aware of their surroundings, because someday, they will be on their own.
I think I read it on a blog or in one of our articles, but someone said that this is just the new thing of which to be afraid. We can't shut it out, hoping that it will go away. Not to open a can of worms, but it's like sex education. Ignoring it will not prevent kids from exploring. Education will at least allow them to make intelligent decisions.
This is a great overview and it is a really big deal for librarians. Having to do research myself, I realize the importance of educating the use of technology not only to students but to adults as well. Thanks for your ideas!
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