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posted by on Wednesday April 26 2017, @12:07PM   Printer-friendly
from the a-marriage-is-formed-between-one-man-and-one-electronic-computing-device dept.

More than a dozen state legislatures are considering a bill called the "Human Trafficking Prevention Act," which has nothing to do with human trafficking and all to do with one man's crusade against pornography at the expense of free speech.

At its heart, the model bill would require device manufacturers to pre-install "obscenity" filters on devices like cell phones, tablets, and computers. Consumers would be forced to pony up $20 per device in order to surf the Internet without state censorship. The legislation is not only technologically unworkable, it violates the First Amendment and significantly burdens consumers and businesses.

Perhaps more shocking is the bill's provenance. The driving force behind the legislation is a man named Mark Sevier, who has been using the alias "Chris Severe" to contact legislators. According to the Daily Beast, Sevier is a disbarred attorney who has sued major tech companies, blaming them for his pornography addiction, and sued states for the right to marry his laptop. Reporters Ben Collins and Brandy Zadrozny uncovered a lengthy legal history for Sevier, including an open arrest warrant and stalking convictions, as well as evidence that Sevier misrepresented his own experience working with anti-trafficking non-profits.

The bill has been introduced in some form [in] Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Louisiana, New Jersey, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, West Virginia, and Wyoming (list here). We recommend that any legislator who has to consider this bill read the Daily Beast's investigation.

[...] It’s unfortunate that the Human Trafficking Prevention Act has gained traction in so many states, but we're pleased to see that some, such as Wyoming and North Dakota, have already rejected it. Legislators should do the right thing: uphold the Constitution, protect consumers, and not use the problem of human trafficking as an excuse to promote this individual’s agenda against pornography.

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2017/04/states-introduce-dubious-legislation-ransom-internet


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  • (Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday April 26 2017, @03:33PM (1 child)

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday April 26 2017, @03:33PM (#500097)

    no one ever tried to express themselves through pornography.

    Lolwut?
    That's like saying no one has ever tried to express themselves through dance.
    Just because fucking is fun to watch doesn't make it non-expressive.
    Maybe its not some grand philosophical treatise. But it is at least as expressive as small-talk and anyone who tried to outlaw small-talk would be quickly laughed out of the state-house.

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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday April 26 2017, @05:29PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday April 26 2017, @05:29PM (#500189)

    Maybe its (pornography) not some grand philosophical treatise. But it is at least as expressive as small-talk and anyone who tried to outlaw small-talk would be quickly laughed out of the state-house.

    Dang, Son! You should have posted this under a Nick, rather than as AC. I'm sure this will be one of the quotes of the decade!