Tag Archive: COPA

Not with a bang, but with a whimper: the Supreme Court of the United States has quietly put an end to the controversial Child Online Protection Act (COPA) by refusing to hear a government appeal of a ruling banning its enforcement. The act was passed with overwhelming support of Congress in 1998, and sought to ban Web sites from making “harmful” content available to minors. COPA has been embroiled in controversy ever since on First Amendment grounds, arguing that the law would criminalize legitimate, protected forms of free speech.

The Supreme Court offered no comment on its refusal to hear the appeal.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit has upheld a lower court ruling (PDF) that found the federal Child Online Protection Act (COPA) was overbroad and a violation of the first and fifth amendment to the U.S. constitution. The case was brought by the ACLU on behalf of writers, health educators, and artists, and is being hailed by citizens rights’ groups and anti-censorship advocates as a significant victory…but at the same time, it’s leaving legislators and many other groups concerned with childrens’ welfare scratching their heads about how to protect children from inappropriate online material.