While perusing the friends of friends on my LiveJournal account, someone wrote an entry with this link. Apparently, some assemblyman in New Jersey is proposing that every web site with a forums should require users to register their full legal name before being able to post any content in the forum. Then, upon request (that is, an email, not anything legal (!)), the owner or maintainer of the web site should be required to divulge said user identification in the case of harassment, libel, or other defamation.
The idea of this scares me -- it's overreaction to a problem, most likely spearheaded by people who can't take any type of criticism or otherwise. Who sets what is 'defamation' and what is criticism, a joke, or otherwise? And how does this affect Usenet? Frankly, if something like this became law, I don't know how I will be able to continue maintaining whatthefuck.com..
I hate to take this down a notch, but is everyone taking stupid pills now?
Great reading, keep up the great posts.
Peace, JiggaDigga