Florida Wants to Force Tech Companies to Censor What You See on the Internet

[Origanalist]

April 24, 2017 by Trevor Hill

A bill has been introduced to Florida’s state legislature that would require electronic devices to be manufactured with a government-mandated filter pre-installed. The bill was introduced on April 7th and, if passed into law, would take effect October 2017.

Forcing Businesses to Censor Online Content

The bill, titled the “Human Trafficking Prevention Act,” would prohibit all covered electronics manufacturers from producing, distributing, or selling certain devices without a filter present that blocks specific kinds of online content.

The filter would, according to the bill’s text, block specified types of sexually-oriented material such as prostitution, assignation, lewdness, and human trafficking. Additionally, if covered businesses are caught distributing devices that allow for such items, then they can be subject to a cease and desist order from the State of Florida.

The bill also requires businesses to respond to reports of “obscene material.” Failing to do so can also result in legal action being taken against a business operating in the state, initiated by either consumers or the Attorney General of Florida.

Moreover, selling any electronic device that can access the internet, without a filter, would become a felony if sold to a minor and a first-degree misdemeanor if sold to an adult under state law.

Protecting Consumers Via Censorship

The law was proposed by legislators for consumer safety reasons, specifically to curb human trafficking activities that occur onFloridaline. The reasoning behind this is that obscene material can be easily distributed and retrieved on the internet, which increases demand for human trafficking, prostitution, child pornography, as well as cyberbullying.

Therefore, the legislators think that limiting this kind of consumer activity through technological mandates will decrease the demand for human trafficking, among other things, and help to prevent human trafficking in general.

In fact, the bill’s text goes as far as saying that internet-capable devices have become “pornography vending machines” in need of regulation.

The bill’s text reads:

continued..http://bitsonline.com/florida-compan...nsor-internet/

[opal]

I went to the article.. which I rarely do from a link because I wanted to know who introduced/sponsored/authored the bill. Of course, the *cough* reporter didn't give that information.

so.. I hunted down and read the bill - 11 pages of how the state could further it's control and up it's revenue stream.. fees, fines. freekin extortion
HB 337: Internet Access

GENERAL BILL by Spano ; (CO-INTRODUCERS) Berman ; Cortes, J. ; Edwards ; Fitzenhagen ; Yarborough


.. what a load of horse $#@!
first off.. when someone buys something.. it's theirs. This bill requires companies to retain control over devices they're selling - which should be called renting.
Exempted are "commercial" social media sites with their own filter reporting call centers *eye roll*

Now I have to look up the moron sponsors

[opal]

And here's a rough draft, stream of consciousness rant I am working on to send

re HB 337: Internet Access:

When in human history has an attempt to legislate human behavior actually accomplished anything?

Did prohibition stop drinking? Has the war on drugs stopped drug use? Have tighter immigration laws stopped illegal immigration?

This bill - which appears by the title to be trying to prevent human trafficing is a veiled attempt at additional control and revenue enhancement by the state.

Criminals that are involved in the activities that this bill is targeting will not obey the law, pay the fees or attract any attention to themselves with new devices purchased in the state.

Law abiding citizens will be the victims of extortion by the state, if this abomination of a bill passes.

What it will actually do, if it passes will - encourage hacking to get around the stupidity and close small businesses in the state when people buy elsewhere.

People that understand how to buy from Amazon, or directly from China (alibaba, aliexpress) or from a different state will do just that.

Lines 122-123 state, regarding the disabling of the filter that a consumer would be required to sign a form saying that he/she "Has acknowledged receiving a written warning regarding the potential danger of deactivating the filter."

What danger? The only danger here is the state having someone on a watch list for possible future thought crimes.

If you're a consumer, when you buy something, it's yours.

If you're a seller, when you sell something it's gone.

If a retailer sells a device, and then retains control over it via updates and centralized data monitoring, shouldn't they also pay the inventory taxes on a device they actually control? Where is that provision in this bill?

This bill should be renamed what it actually is,
Mandated electronics tax to fund state welfare funds.

Sixty percent shall be deposited into the Crimes Compensation Trust Fund to be used for costs associated with relocation assistance for victims of human trafficking

-- can you smell the fund abuse options yet?

Twenty percent shall be deposited into the Department of Legal Affairs Grants and Donations Trust Fund to be used by the department to provide grants to state agencies, units of local government, and nongovernmental organizations

Develop, expand, or strengthen programs for victims of human trafficking and child exploitation. Such programs may include:
(I) Health services, including mental health services. (isn't this what Medicaid is for?)
(II) Temporary and permanent housing placement. (covered in that first 60%)
(III) Legal and immigration services. (we already have immigration services. make them do their jobs)
(IV) Employment placement, education, and training. (also already have these programs in operation)


The remaining funds shall be deposited in the General Revenue Fund.

*this is not prevention - this is consumer funded welfare*

[timosman]

Bonanza!

[CaptUSA]

The filter would, according to the bill’s text, block specified types of sexually-oriented material such as prostitution, assignation, lewdness, and human trafficking.

Assignation?! Really?!

So the idea of meeting to have sex in private is a bad thing?!

"Listen, you plebians... you had better be sending dick pics and sexts like a normal person so we know what you're doing and who with. None of this sexual privacy stuff, m'kay?!"

[opal]

And now.. after tweaking for a while...

re HB 337: Internet Access:

When in human history has an attempt to legislate human behavior actually accomplished anything?

Did prohibition stop drinking? Has the war on drugs stopped drug use? Have tighter immigration laws stopped illegal immigration?

This bill - which appears by the title to be trying to prevent human trafficing is a veiled attempt at additional behavior control and revenue enhancement by the
state.

Criminals that are involved in the activities that this bill is targeting will not obey the law, pay the fees or attract any attention to themselves with new devices
purchased in this state.

Law abiding citizens will be the victims of extortion by the state, if this abomination of a bill passes.

What it will actually do, if it passes will -

*encourage hacking to get around the mandated filters.
*cripple small businesses in the state when people buy elsewhere.
*create a brand new Florida black market - of which you leeches won't get your extortion fees from anyway.
*as a bonus, it could wake more voters up to the fact that the state isn't protecting us - it's taxing us into poverty under the guise of false security all the while broadening the amount of individual surveillance by any means available.

People that understand how to buy from Amazon, other internet retailers or directly from China (alibaba, aliexpress) or from a different state will do just that.

Lines 122-123 state, regarding the disabling of the filter that a consumer would be required to sign affirming that he/she "Has acknowledged receiving a written
warning regarding the potential danger of deactivating the filter."

What danger? The only danger here is getting yourself on a government watch list for possible future thought crimes.

If you're a consumer, when you buy something, it's yours.

If you're a seller, when you sell something it's gone.

If a retailer sells a device, and then retains control over it via updates and centralized data monitoring, shouldn't they also pay the inventory taxes on a device they actually control? Where is that provision in this bill? You're missing a whole other avenue of extortion leaving that out.

This bill should be renamed what it actually is,

*Welfare tax on internet capable Electronics*

disbursement according to the bill text:

Sixty percent shall be deposited into the Crimes Compensation Trust Fund to be used

for costs associated with relocation assistance for victims of human trafficking
*no chance of abuse of the system there.. geeze people.. wake up and smell the graft

Twenty percent shall be deposited into the Department of Legal Affairs Grants and Donations Trust Fund to be used by the department to provide grants to state
agencies, units of local government, and nongovernmental organizations
To Develop, expand, or strengthen programs for victims of human trafficking and child exploitation. Such programs may include:

(I) Health services, including mental health services.
(isn't this what Medicaid is for?)
(II) Temporary and permanent housing placement.
(covered in that first 60%)
(III) Legal and immigration services.
(we already have immigration services. Why not fire the ones that are not doing their jobs?)
(IV) Employment placement, education, and training.
(also already have these programs in operation)
The remaining funds shall be deposited in the General Revenue Fund.

*this is not prevention - this is consumer extorted welfare funding*

And now, just for fun - tell us, the voters, how much of the whole kitty would be in the hands of the victims of sexual trafficking and how much would go to feed the bureaucracy handling the money/programs/services. AND what does the funding have to do with prevention in any way shape or form?
**************************

[The Rebel Poet]

Thanks for the heads up.

[osan]

I see the retards in the FL legislature have awakened and are become busy. In these cases, busy = badness.

[Suzanimal]

[timosman]

You no longer can be $#@!ed, you can only be f***ed

[CCTelander]

This kind of stuff makes me so very grateful to be living in America, where freedom reigns. It almost makes me want to stand up and sing along with this:



Feel the freedom brothers and sisters. If it feels a little bit like chains, you're just not trying hard enough. /s

[Suzanimal]

You no longer can be $#@!ed, you can only be f***ed

S**T!

[The Rebel Poet]

This kind of stuff makes me so very grateful to be living in America, where freedom reigns. It almost makes me want to stand up and sing along with this:



Feel the freedom brothers and sisters. If it feels a little bit like chains, you're just not trying hard enough. /s

I should neg rep you for Lee fυcking Greenwood.