MI Legislators May Crack Down on Anonymous E-Mail

Staff -- Library Journal, 2/19/2001

In what may be a portent of a crackdown on anonymous Internet access, including that used by library patrons, Michigan legislators concerned about child pornography are proposing that free Internet Service Providers operating in their state collect data to verify the identity of subscribers. According to a report from the Detroit Free Press, the issue has been raised by the Wayne County Sheriff's Internet crime task force, which has tried to trace child pornographers who communicate via free ISP e-mail accounts. Such accounts -- unlike those from America Online, for example -- do not require verifiable information like a credit card. So far, the free subscriber service BlueLight.com has agreed to change its policies, but other access providers, like NetZero, have resisted. Privacy advocates say that the proposal "verges on being unconstitutional."