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ValleyWag picked up a story from WTVQ in Kentucky today on a bit of proposed legislation by State Representative Tim Couch that has designs to make illegal the ability to post anonymously to the internet. The bill requires anyone who contributes to a website to register their real name, address and email address on that site.  Of course, the offender couldn’t be very easily prosecuted since there would be no way to track the anonymous poster, but the website operator would be forced to make their site compliant or otherwise face a fine of $500 per each offending post.

The goal of this legislation is to curb ‘online bullying,’ apparently, but it is a great example of the irrational backlash that I documented and predicted in the suicide edition of the Social Media Crime Blotter a few weeks ago.  In that situation, a string of suicides in a small UK town triggered lawmakers to work on legislation designed to keep Bebo users from ‘glorifying suicide victims.’

This time around, in response to recent suicides on MySpace and other events taking place online that resulted supposedly from online, US lawmakers are willing to suspend the right to speak freely to apply a bandaid to the problems of American young ones’ self esteem. Understandably, when the irresponsible actions of a few lead to the death of a family member, immediate and decisive action is wanted to rectify the issue legally.  Unfortunately, banning all anonymous commentary online is about like banning all gossip publications because Britney Spears became a bad mother due to overzealous paparazzi, or banning everything from pocket knives to nuclear arms because someone was mugged at the corner store.

Thankfully, though, even in the unlikely event this law is passed, it would be largely unenforceable.  I can’t imagine website purveyors around the world cowtowing to the unconstitutional mandates of Kentucky for their commenting and posting systems.

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