10 years later, COPA internet censorship law is finally dead
Way back in 1998, US president Bill Clinton signed into law a measure called the Child Online Protection Act. And it's never actually been enforced. As the name suggested, the law was intended to help protect kids from the dangerous things that can be found on the internet, specifically pictures of naked people. But critics said it limited free speech, and didn't make it clear how to distinguish between sexually explicit internet content and educational web sites. For example, would a web page showing young women how to perform self examinations for breast cancer be banned?
Before the law could ever take effect, it was challenged in the courts, and it's been bouncing from one court to the next for the last 10 years. Today, the Supreme Court declined to hear the case, effectively killing the law and keeping the web safe for pornographers and health professionals alike. Until Congress passes another law aimed at protecting kids.
