NJ Bill Would Prohibit Anonymous Posts on Forums...

[webmaster]

This certainly caught my attention and I thought it would be interesting (and disturbing) to users of this and other forums.

Originally Posted by NJ A1327

This bill would require an operator of any interactive computer service or an Internet service provider to establish, maintain and enforce a policy requiring an information content provider who posts messages on a public forum website either to be identified by legal name and address or to register a legal name and address with the operator or provider prior to posting messages on a public forum website.

The bill requires an operator of an interactive computer service or an Internet service provider to establish and maintain reasonable procedures to enable any person to request and obtain disclosure of the legal name and address of an information content provider who posts false or defamatory information about the person on a public forum website.

In addition, the bill makes any operator or Internet service provider liable for compensatory and punitive damages as well as costs of a law suit filed by a person damaged by the posting of such messages if the operator or Internet service provider fails to establish, maintain and enforce the policy required by section 2 of the bill.

That has to send a chill through forum operators in NJ.

If this law applied to this site, which it doesn't, I would be forced to require your legal (does that mean verified?) names and addresses and release them to anyone who thinks something "false" has been said about them.

I can't imagine this passing or being constitutional and if Peter J. Biondi was my Assemblyman I wouldn't be happy with him.

Here's the whole bill (link from drudgereport.com):
NJ Bill Would Prohibit Anonymous Posts on Forums...