Miscellaneous

Why Does this Man Want to Kill the Internet?

A state lawmaker in Idaho, whose head is full of shiny, clinky rocks, has come up with worst idea ever:

State Rep. Steve Hartgen, a former newspaper publisher, says he might introduce a bill to force people to use their real names when posting comments on the Internet.

"A modest proposal that simply required the posting of a true name with respect to comments and blogs would go a long way," Hartgen, R-Twin Falls, told the Times-News, adding that the absence of such a provision "discourages people from participating in civil life. To me, it reflects a coarsening and cheapening of public debate, which I think is not healthy for Idaho."

Hartgen, who was appointed to the Legislature in July and won election in November, is a former publisher and managing editor of the Times-News but hasn't been affiliated with the newspaper since 2005.

His suggestion has prompted an outcry from Web users, who argue that it would chill the spontaneous exchange of ideas on the Internet.

You know why most users post anonymously? So their bosses won't know they're posting comments during work time. If they had to use their real names, every boss in America could check time-stamped comments and know when their employees were doing things more productive than their crappy day jobs. No one would post anymore. And then the Internet would die. Does Representative Hartgen want that on his conscience.

Also, not for nothing, but such a law would be absolutely, completely unenforceable and just about the stupidest piece of legislation ever passed by any state in the history of law passing.

Full post as published by Quiz Law on December 23, 2008 (boomark / email).