There are many reports circulating about the ramifications of a bill that looks to protect children and adolescents from exploitation online, but Ars Technica pours cold water on all that hype. The bill holds the operators of open WiFi networks accountable for any content that passes through the connection. Community WiFi startups like FON will not be affected by the bill, should it pass the Senate, the report says, because WiFi isn't mentioned in the bill at all--nor are coffee shops, libraries or individuals running open access points. Regardless, the bill only ups the penalty for ISPs that see inappropriate content running on their network but fail to report it. These companies need to make a "knowing and willfail failure" to be held liable for between $150,000 and $300,000.
For more on the bill:
- read this report from Ars Technica