Proposed bill would block porn from computers sold in South Carolina, somehow
South Carolina representative Bill Chumley has proposed a bill that would make it slightly more difficult for people in his state to watch porn. The bill would require manufacturers to install “digital blocking capabilities” on their computers that would ban access to internet porn, The Charlotte Observer reports.
But Chumley’s plans don’t end there. The bill also suggests a loophole for its own requirements: manufacturers could choose to pay $20 per device to opt out of the software installation, and buyers could pay the same amount to remove the porn filter (as long as they verify they are 18 or older) according to the Observer. The money collected via this loophole will go toward funding a human trafficking prevention task force.
In case it’s not obvious, it’s very, very unlikely this bill will ever become a law. But, to humor Chumley, some questions: will this blocking software — what is essentially ransomware — only be installed on computers sold in South Carolina? Will South Carolinians just order laptops online? Does this make any sense?
Here are some other bills that Chumley (a Republican, age 69) has sponsored in his time as a political man: a bill that would allow people to carry weapons into college athletic events, one that would prevent a court from “enforcing foreign law,” and a proposal that would designate March 26th as “South Carolina Independence Day.”
