Radley Balko points out a particularly bizarre and odious feature of a bill by Rep. Bob Goodlatte [PDF], which has 115 co-sponsors, seeking to ban Internet gambling.
(3) Relief granted under paragraph (1) against an interactive computer service (as defined in section 230(f) of the Communications Act of 1934) shall–
(A) be limited to the removal of, or disabling of access to, an online site violating this section, or a hypertext link to an online site violating this section, that resides on a computer server that such service controls or operates; except this limitation shall not apply if the service is violating this section or is in active concert with a person who is violating this section and receives actual notice of the relief. [p. 15]
So, not only would running an online gambling site be illegal–which is largely academic, since the companies running them are mostly in the Caribbean or the British Isles–but websites that even hyperlink to them could be taken down?
That’s going to go over well. . . .
