Orange
County, CA (PRWEB)
The Friends of
MySpace is opposed to recent legislation introduced by Pennsylvania congressman,
Michael Fitzpatrick, which includes prohibiting public schools and libraries
from providing access to social-networking sites like MySpace.com. We believe
that this bill infringes on millions of innocent people's right to freedom
of speech, as guaranteed by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution.
Last week, Pennsylvania
Republican Michael Fitzpatrick endorsed legislation that would severely
limit Web sites that allow public forums and personal profiles. The bill,
titled "Deleting Online Predators Act of 2006," uses broad language that
would affect such sites as MySpace, AOL, blogs, chat rooms, e-mail and
more. In essence, public schools and libraries would be prohibited from
allowing access to such Web sites as MySpace.
Fitzpatrick's
bill claims that limitations on public forum-type Internet sites will protect
minors from predators. The bill's language, however, does not take into
account the vast majority of visitors to sites such as MySpace who use
those sites legitimately. When taking the millions of MySpace members into
account, in fact, incidents involving predators are exceptionally rare.
Furthermore, according to Mr. Fitzpatrick's press release, he believes
that "many parents lack the resources to protect their children from online
predators and that his legislation seeks to change that."
Why should the
federal government bear the parents' responsibility for teaching and guiding
their children? In addition, how are banning users from accessing social-networking
sites at public schools and libraries going to decrease the risks of interacting
with people online? The Internet is open 24 hours a day.
"We recommend
that parents, government officials and members of the media first understand
why social-networking sites appeal so strongly to teenagers and young adults,"
said Carlos Tabora, author of the petition. "If passed, this legislation
will infringe on millions of innocent people's right to freedom of speech,
as guaranteed by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution."
It is these real,
legitimate users who need to speak out. Americans' freedom of speech is
in danger. Regardless of whether Americans use sites like MySpace or not,
American rights are being threatened.
To view the petition
in its entirety, visit www.friendsofmyspace.com.
The Friends of
MySpace is a coalition of MySpace members that support the MySpace community.
We are not owned, operated or affiliated with MySpace.com or The News Corporation
in any way. Think of us as a neighborhood watch group that works to improve
the MySpace experience while serving as an unofficial voice for MySpace
members that support our cause.
--PRWeb--
External Links:
Chatmag's
'Blog. Deleting Online Predators Act.
Friendsofmyspace.com
Saveyourspace.org
Discussion Forum.
