Ring in the new...
Jan. 3rd, 2012 12:25 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
alexpgpGizmodo has a story titled Belarus Is Now Home to the Internet's Most Insane Law, in which it is reported that the new Belarus law, which goes into effect on January 6, 2012, makes it "illegal to browse foreign web sites."
The link from "illegal" in the last paragraph goes to a page at the Library of Congress website on law, wherein the Belarus law is summarized, stating, inter alia, that
But according to the THOMAS web site at the LOC, there is a bill—HR 1981, the "Protecting Children From Internet Pornographers Act of 2011," with 39 cosponsors—that, according to a post at Lifehacker.com, would require ISPs in the U.S.
What I would like to understand is this: In what respect, exactly, is the Belarusian law any more insane than what's being considered in Congress?
Cheers...
The link from "illegal" in the last paragraph goes to a page at the Library of Congress website on law, wherein the Belarus law is summarized, stating, inter alia, that
...owners and administrators of Internet cafés or other places that offer access to the Internet might be found guilty of violating this Law and fined and their businesses might be closed if users of Internet services provided by these places are found visiting websites located outside of Belarus and if such behavior of the clients was not properly identified, recorded, and reported to the authorities. The Law states that this provision may apply to private individuals if they allow other persons to use their home computers for browsing the Internet. (Emphasis mine.)So it turns out that it's not illegal to browse foreign web sites, but only to do so without having your behavior properly identified, recorded, and reported to the authorities. Oh, those nasty Belarusians! Tsk-tsk-tsk.
But according to the THOMAS web site at the LOC, there is a bill—HR 1981, the "Protecting Children From Internet Pornographers Act of 2011," with 39 cosponsors—that, according to a post at Lifehacker.com, would require ISPs in the U.S.
to keep records of customer activity for a year so police can review them as needed. [... The bill requires] ISPs to retain customer names, addresses, phone numbers, credit card numbers, bank account numbers, and dynamic IP addresses. It's a record of your personal information plus the web sites you visit.The post is dated this past July, but it's still worth reading because the accompanying analysis in the article is telling, and more important, the legislation is not dead, but on the Congressional Union Calendar.
What I would like to understand is this: In what respect, exactly, is the Belarusian law any more insane than what's being considered in Congress?
Cheers...
