Congressman Defends COPA
A federal judge in Philadelphia on Thursday struck down a controversial federal law called the Child Online Protection Act, which was aimed at protecting children on the Internet. Technology Daily's PM edition has details of the court's ruling.
The bill, which made its way through Congress nearly a decade ago, was sponsored by Rep. Michael Oxley, R-Ohio, who has since retired. A number of original cosponsors have also left Capitol Hill in the years since the law began bouncing through the courts.
But Rep. Paul Gillmor, another Ohio Republican, backed the bill in the late 1990s and still supports it today. The lawmaker, a chief proponent of the multiple-year push for a federal sex offender registry, said COPA is critical to keep children safe online.
In an afternoon interview, he called the ruling against COPA "unfortunate" and said he hoped the Justice Department would appeal the decision. "They should try to uphold the law," he said. "The concept behind the law is good and that's their job -- to defend legislation passed by Congress."
"One of biggest dangers to kids now is online predators and online pornography," he said. He discounted claims by COPA critics that the law is too vague and would sweep in non-pornographic sites.
"[It] has to be material that is harmful to minors" to fall under COPA, Gillmor insisted. "If it's truly an educational site, they shouldn't have that kind of material on there." Sites featuring health information or other educational content should be out of COPA's reach, he added.
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