Congress Eyes Greater Control of the Web

I’m a nervous person these days. For some reason, the expression I learned in my high school government class keeps coming to mind: Slippery slope. To me, the internet’s beauty was its inherent self-regulation – the best ideas would continue to rise to the surface and enhance everyone’s experience. But that self-regulating nature feels like it’s under pressure from the federal government.

We’ve had months of questions about Net Neutrality (which Brad Waller has covered in depth). Internet gaming has come under fire (again, thanks Brad). And today this c|net article comes across my browser: “Congress spanks naughty sex sites”

Anyone who includes misleading “words” or “images” intended to confuse a minor into viewing a possibly harmful Web site could be imprisoned for up to 20 years and fined…

…If the bill becomes law, it’s not clear which Webmasters would become federal felons.

If that last sentence doesn’t scare you, perhaps you should re-read it.

For the record, I’m not here to defend child pornography (or the online adult industry as a whole) in any way shape or form. But from my brief understanding of the capabilities of this law, any webmaster with adult content that also features keywords that children might use – may face fines – and potentially jail time. As we enter an era where social networks and consumer generated material represent large portions of your site’s development, vague and misguided legislation on the internet is hardly the ideal scenario for continuing the internet’s evolution.

A future ‘web labelling’ bill is expected to reach the Senate floor in the near future which could have even further implications on web marketers of all sorts.

The internet operates best when it is left to it’s original, democratic form. Making webmasters fearful of the federal government is a surefire way to stifle innovation and stifle best intentions. If a website does what it claims it does – it will surface to the top, like it always has, and this sort of legislation leads me to inevitably repeat that phrase – slippery slope.

Disclosure: Card carrying libertarian here!