Law Would Ban Anonymous Online Comments

Two New York lawmakers want to outlaw anonymous comments from websites based in the state. Their proposed legislation is now in both legislative houses, though no votes have been taken, reports Wired. The idea is to reduce cyberbullying and "baseless political attacks," and bring "some accountability to the Internet age," they explain. Just one problem, adds David Kravets of Wired: the Constitution.

"Unless the First Amendment is repealed, they stand no chance of surviving any constitutional scrutiny even if they were approved," he writes of the bills. At the Above the Law blog, Christopher Danzig is even more incredulous. "I’m not even mad. I’m just impressed that a group of state legislators managed to draft this with a straight face." (More anonymous stories.)