Congress Mulls Restriction of Online Pornography

Rejected by the courts in an earlier effort to restrict Internet pornography, the House voted Wednesday to require companies to verify an adult’s age before showing online material “harmful to minors.”

“There are literally thousands of sites devoted to every manner of perversion and brutality,” said Rep. Michael G. Oxley (R-Ohio), the bill’s sponsor. “Unfortunately, the Web is awash in degrading smut.”

Included within the bill, passed on a voice vote, was a far less controversial proposal to require companies on the Internet to obtain parental consent before collecting personal information from children on the Web.

It would require companies online to make “any reasonable effort” to get parental consent before asking children under 13 for their names or e-mail addresses. The bill is significant because it would mark the first federal privacy protection for Internet users, but it specifically would not affect information collected from adults.

The anti-porn legislation would require companies to verify that a customer is over 16 by asking for a credit card number, adult access code or “any other reasonable measures” before showing pornographic material. Violators would face fines up to $50,000 and up to six months in prison.

Critics contend it would be an erosion of free speech protections.

The Senate voted 98 to 1 earlier Wednesday to attach a similar measure, sponsored by Sen. Dan Coats (R-Ind.), to a bill that would impose a moratorium on any new state or local taxes while a federal commission sorts out tax options for electronic commerce.

But a Senate vote on the tax issue was delayed until at least today.

Votes on amendments brought the bill closer to a House-passed version, which would permit existing Internet taxes to continue.

Leaders of the House and Senate said the Internet tax measure is a priority, and President Clinton has said he would sign it.

The administration has indicated it opposes the Internet decency legislation, although it is unclear whether Clinton would veto it.

Earlier Wednesday, eight major Web companies announced a multimillion-dollar privacy initiative aimed at heading off broader new federal privacy laws.

The online campaign is aimed at educating consumers about privacy rights and encouraging companies to post policies about how they collect personal data. The industry wants to show Washington that regulation isn’t needed.