Alabama Law Would Require Porn Filters on All Internet Devices An Alabama Representative is pushing for a new law that would make it illegal to sell any internet-connected device that doesn't have embedded pornography filters. More specifically, Representative Jack Williams' HB 428 would "prohibit the sale of a device that provides Internet access unless the device contains an active filter that blocks access to specified types of obscene material."

Under the law, a porn filter would be installed on all devices by default, and users would need to pay an additional fee to have the filter removed. Under the proposed law, any company that sold internet-connected devices without the porn filters embedded would be punishable by up to one year in prison and a $6,000 fine. Selling a filter-free device to a minor would be considered a felony, punishable by up to 10 years in prison a fine of up to $30,000 per each offense. Of course Williams apparently couldn't be bothered to describe in the bill how precisely the filters would work or who manages the list of pornography websites the proposal intends to block. But the bill does indicate that to get the filters removed, a user would need to file a written request, acknowledge a warning about the risks of filter-free internet browsing, and pay $20 to the state -- and another fee to whatever state-employed firm needs to disable the filter. Alabama's bill mirrors a bill being pushed Alabama's bill mirrors a bill being pushed in more than a dozen states , several of them being proposed under the pretense of fighting human trafficking







News Jump California Defends Its Net Neutrality Law; AT&T's Traffic Up 20% Despite Data Traffic Actually Being Down; + more news Are The Comcast-Charter X1 Talks Dead In The Water?; AT&T May Offer Phone Plans With Ads For Discounts; + more news Europe's Top Court: Net Neutrality Rules Bar Zero Rating; ViacomCBS To Rebrand CBS All Access As Paramount+; + more news Verizon To Buy Reseller TracFone For $7B; 5G Not The Competitive Threat To Cable Many Thought It Would Be; + more news MS.Wants Records From AT&T On $300M Project; Google Fiber Outages In Austin, Houston, Other Texan Cities; + more news States With The Biggest Decreases In Speed; AT&T Hopes You'll Forget Its Fight Against Accurate Maps; + more news AT&T's CEO Has A Familiar $olution To US Broadband Woes; EarthLink Files Suit Against Charter; + more news 5G Doesn't Live Up To Hype, AT&T's 5G Slower Than Its 4G; Cord-Cutting Now In 37% of Broadband Households; + more news FCC Cited False Broadband Data Despite Warnings; ZTE, Huawei Replacement Cost Is $1.87B, But Only $1B Allocated; + more Cogeco Rejects Altice USA's Atlantic Broadband Bid; AT&T Is Astroturfing The FCC In Support Of Trump Attack; + more news ---------------------- this week last week most discussed

Most recommended from 101 comments



Mike

Mod

join:2000-09-17

Pittsburgh, PA 49 recommendations Mike Mod I want his internet history nt

imanogre

join:2005-11-29

Smyrna, GA 39 recommendations imanogre Member This is what I don't get Alabama is predominantly a Republican state. And Republicans are the party of, among other things, the party of personal responsibility and limited government. This proposal appears to be neither limited government OR personal responsibility (because one person should be able to supervise their own kids).



This is one of the MANY reasons I left the Republican party long ago. b10010011

Whats a Posting tag?

join:2004-09-07

Bellingham, WA 37 recommendations b10010011 Member Conservatives like to shout "Freedom freedom freedom... Hoy ;)"



Stupid people keep voting for them because you really can't fix stupid. But then want the government to control every aspect of a person's life right down to what they can view on the internet.Stupid people keep voting for them because you really can't fix stupid.

kdwycha

join:2003-01-30

Ruskin, FL 33 recommendations kdwycha Member Money Grab This is nothing more than a money grab by Alabama. I wouldn't put it past Jack Williams having an acquaintance that runs the private company that would be contracted to oversee the porn list.



I am actually surprised the bill got this far and Pornhub has not lobbied to have this killed.

chuch

join:2001-04-11

Tampa, FL 31 recommendations chuch Member Smaller Gov't? I thought these Republican thugs wanted less government intrusion in people's lives. dlewis23

join:2005-04-18

Boca Raton, FL 27 recommendations dlewis23 Member I bet... This guy watches A LOT of porn... wbhigdon

join:2003-10-29

Prattville, AL 20 recommendations wbhigdon Member It's awful legislation Obsoleteness the bill mandates companies to respond to complaints about filtering and face liability after selling

equipment. No timeline is given for this. Companies should not and can not be expected to maintain software in perpetuity.



"A person that sells a device without a filter to a minor commits a Class C felony." It shocks the conscious that

someone selling a second hand iPad/iPhone/Old Laptop can now be charged with a felony.



Grr....

Anonb413e

@2601:246.x 18 recommendations Anonb413e Anon Porn Filters Is Alabama going to put porn filters on all the adult - porn stores that litter the interstate?

maartena

Elmo

Premium Member

join:2002-05-10

Orange, CA 18 recommendations maartena Premium Member Idiots. Everyone will just order their devices online from other states, or drive across the border to buy a laptop in a neighboring state.



Result:



1) Loss of sales tax for the state of Alabama.

2) No porn blocked.



Typical "conservative" Alabama politics. No wonder they always struggle with their budget, who on earth wants to do business there? CyberGuy

join:2006-08-21

Colbert, WA 16 recommendations CyberGuy Member So all the really important issues in Alabama have all been taken care of, huh? Roads, bridges, illegals kicked out?

ctaranto

join:2011-12-14

MA 15 recommendations ctaranto Member Alabama... Just one of many states that no one REALLY wants to live in.

Gilitar

join:2012-02-01

Mobile, AL 13 recommendations Gilitar Member Idiot! Typical Alabama politics... whatsupdoc (banned)

join:2017-01-08

Mickleton, NJ 13 recommendations whatsupdoc (banned) Member Good luck buying PCs or smartphones in states passing these laws Good luck buying PCs or smartphones in the states passing these anti-porn laws. Many device makers will just refuse to sell to people in those states or ship to retailers in those states. Those that do will charge a very large premium to buy their products.



P.S.>> and if the laws are passed, look for federal courts to declare them unconstitutional very quickly. nic_9593

join:2014-12-07 6 recommendations nic_9593 Member Tine warp Someone should tell this Representative the 1990s are over MrkFrnt

join:2000-11-26

Winston Salem, NC 5 recommendations MrkFrnt Member never underestimate the ingenuity of a horny teenager, and who gets to decide what is pornographic?

ptrowski

Got Helix?

Premium Member

join:2005-03-14

Woodstock, CT 5 recommendations ptrowski Premium Member The more some is against something.... Typically means the secretly love it. Look at the most recent case in OK. I am willing to bet this guy has a closet filled with skeletons.....

wavelength

CyberSec Pro

join:2015-05-22

Raleigh, NC ·Google Fiber

Juniper SRX240

Ubiquiti UniFi UAP-AC-PRO

4 recommendations wavelength Member Yes, this will work so well... Merits of this law aside...



I can not even get billion dollar security companies, whose job it is to make sure filtering lists are correct in their products, to consistently add malware dropper sites to blacklists.



Now every "connected" device manufacturer, who definitely do not have expertise in this type of filtering, is going to have to do the same thing for something as subjective as "obscene material" ?



And who is going to make the determination about what is obscene and what isn't? The Puritanical bozo who thinks that ankles are pornographic?



Or worse, fearing legal action for failing to block, which manufacturer is going to automatically block reported sites as "obscene" without checking them out? No, no possibility for abuse there.

Dominokat

"Hi"

Premium Member

join:2002-08-06

Boothbay, ME 4 recommendations Dominokat Premium Member Another idea How about a filter for the government to stop monitoring, us?



Not everyone who looks at internet pornography are sick perverts.

buddahbless

join:2005-03-21

Premium 3 recommendations buddahbless Member HA ha ha ... Alabama.. Well there not the first to try and wont be the first to fail... Even if by luck it passes in this red state full of country folk that I'm sure likes there porn they will just purchase there devices out of state, especially here in a state where people don't rely heavily on public transit and the majority of AL residents have vehicles ..

Mobile AL residents will take the very short drive to Pensacola FL

Montgomery AL residents will drive to Columbus GA

Birmingham AL residents will drive to Atlanta GA

Huntsville AL resident will drive to Chattanooga GA.



Problem solved if this bill ever passes. boredsysadm

join:2012-01-11 ·Optimum Online

3 recommendations boredsysadm Member In tomorrow's news: Apple, Google, Samsung Amazon and others stops selling any compute devices with internet browser in Alabama due to technical impossibility of law requested and remove liability.

Same thing Google news did in europe.

People will quickly revolt vs this if this idiocy ever passes