The Maine Press Association has joined a lawsuit aimed at blocking a state law intended to protect minors on the Internet that's due to take effect September 12. The law makes it illegal to collect personal information online about minors without parental permission.
The suit is being brought by the national online advocacy group, NetChoice, which argues that the legislation is overly broad, and could subject them to lawsuits by parents, in addition to state penalties.
That's because social networking sites, such as MySpace, require names and ages to register. Maine Attorney General Janet Mills says the law needs fixing.
"After speaking with the sponsor and other legislators involved in it, I think they understand that the law is not presently enforceable," Mills told Capitol News Service. "And so the position we'll take in the court, I beleive, is that we won't be acting to enforce the law as currently drafted."
Mills say she has spoken with the measure's sponsor, Sen. Elizabeth Schneider, a Democrat from Orono, and suggested they craft changes to the law that will achieve Schneider's original goal of preventing minors from sharing sensitive health information online without infringing on constitutional rights.