Bill Nelson teams with Ted Stevens to make things illegal that are already illegal.

[madfloridian]

Much of the anti-phishing bill they propose with Olympia Snowe would declare things illegal that are actually already illegal. Stevens must be concerned about that set of tubes. Bill Nelson must need some attention, so he teams with Stevens, which tells me a lot about his motives.

This article from CNet shows how drastically this bill would affect privacy on the internet.

Senate antiphishing bill outlaws...what's already illegal

If their bill merely duplicated existing criminal laws, it would be more redundant than worrisome. Except that one section is actively harmful to the privacy of Americans who own domain names and want to protect their privacy. The bill says:

"It is unlawful for the registrant of a domain name used in any commercial activity to register such domain name in any Whois database with false or misleading identifying information, including the registrant's name, physical address, telephone number, facsimile number, or electronic mail address...

It is unlawful for a domain name registrar...to shield, mask, block or otherwise restrict access to, any domain name registrant's name, physical address, telephone number, facsimile number, or electronic mail address, or other identifying information in any Whois database...if such registrar...has received written notice, including via facsimile or electronic mail at such entity's facsimile number or electronic mail address of record, that the use of such domain name is in any violation of any provision of this Act."

So let's get this right. Those folks who, reasonably, prefer not to give their actual physical address and telephone number when registering a domain name for themselves or their family are now going to be violating federal law.

And one more question...why is Bill Nelson teaming with two Republicans for a bill that is redundant. My first thought is keeping his name in the news. He speaks openly now on local news about the fact that he would not be averse to an offer of VP.

More about the Nelson-Snowe-Stevens bill:

One winning section involves doling out authority to police online misbehavior to agencies including the Director of the Office of Thrift Supervision, the National Credit Union Administration, the Securities and Exchange Commission, state insurance commissioners, the Secretary of Transportation, the Agriculture Department--all of who are, of course, deeply learned experts on Internet malfeasance.

To be sure, phishing is a real and serious problem. OpenDNS' report says that one unique phishing scam is launched every two minutes. Even intelligent people can be bamboozled by e-mail claiming to be from a bank or PayPal, and criminals have proven to be innovative and relentless.

I still have not gotten over his betrayal on the issue of telecom immunity. His office said he was against it, but he voted for it.

But Senator Bill Nelson, a Florida Democrat, agrees with the White House position. "At the end of the day we have to have the cooperation of the telecommunications companies, and they should not have the threat of a spurious lawsuits hanging over their heads," he said.

I believe that there will be every attempt to gain more control over the internet, to monitor us to the point that it won't even matter if the telecoms are ever held accountable.

[Warpy]

1. Bill Nelson is from the Republic wing of the party

one of those Eisenhower Repub fifth columnists. Unfortunately, Florida is unlikely to produce anyone any better for the foreseeable future.

The only useful thing about him is that he counts toward a Democratic majority.

[thunder rising]

2. Anything to increase spying and personal information access. Bill is my guy! Red to the core.

[madfloridian]

3. I could think of more productive things he could be doing.

Like changing the bankruptcy bill, like getting our military on their way home from Iraq.

[KatyaR]

4. There's an "Office of Thrift Supervision?"

If so, what the hell have they been doing the last seven years? Not being thrifty, that's for damn sure. :mad: