Kentucky Representative Tim Couch wants to know who is saying what on the Internet. He has proposed legislation to make anonymous postings online illegal. It would face a daunting challenge on constitutional grounds.
Couch would require posters to include their real name, address and e-mail address and fine site hosts for filing to required such identification.
It seems to be another “impulse buy” bill from a legislator with far too much time on his hands. For a prior column, click here
The Supreme Court has protected the right of anonymity, as discussed here. Kentucky will spend a copious amount of money defending this law and probably lose on a variety of constitutional grounds. There is no question that cyber bullying is a serious problem (which Couch attempts to address in this legislation). However, this is the wrong means to address the problem.
For the story about of Kentucky, click here