“The Arizona State Legislature on Monday passed an Internet censorship bill that extends telephone harassment laws to the Internet and other means of electronic communication,” Dan Graziano reports for BGR.
“The legislation aims to put an end to cyberbullying and states that virtually anything said online that the state deems ‘offensive’ can be a punishable offense,” Graziano reports. “Law enforcement officials will be able to charge Internet lawbreakers with a Class 1 misdemeanor, which is punishable by a $2,500 fine and up to six months in jail.”
Graziano reports, “Opponents of the legislation argue that the vague wording of the bill could lead to a crack down on public message boards such as 4Chan and Reddit, thus infringing upon basic American freedoms. The bill is currently on the Governor’s desk waiting to be signed into law or vetoed.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Wonder what would have been deemed “offensive” to “the state” back in July 1776? Oh, yeah, the United States Declaration of Independence.
Censorship reflects a society’s lack of confidence in itself. – Potter Stewart
The Net interprets censorship as damage and routes around it. – John Gilmore
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Joe Architect” for the heads up.]
