Minnesota tells ISPs to block gambling sites

Minnesota officials have sent a list of gambling web sites to internet service providers doing business in the state, including AT&T, Comcast, and Sprint. The list is supposed to act as a blacklist, and the state is asking ISPs to prohibit customers from visiting those sites.

The idea is that gambling is illegal in Minnesota, and the state's Department of Public Safety is taking the position that internet gambling sites shouldn't be exempt from that law -- and that the ISPs must block access to those service.

It's likely that the move will be challenged on First Amendment grounds. What do you think? Is this a free speech issue, or an example of companies using the internet to circumvent local laws?

Tags: gambling, minnesota, news