1、Congressional Research Service The Library of CongressCRS Report for CongressReceived through the CRS WebOrder Code RS21328Updated January 30, 2006Internet: Status Report on Legislative Attempts to Protect Children from Unsuitable Material on the WebMarcia S. SmithResources, Science, and Industry Di
2、visionSummaryPreventing children from encountering unsuitable material, such as pornography,as they use the Internet is a major congressional concern. Several laws have beenpassed, including the 1996 Communications Decency Act (CDA), the 1998 ChildOnline Protection Act (COPA), and the 2000 Childrens
3、 Internet Protection Act (CIPA).Federal courts ruled, in turn, that certain sections of CDA, COPA, and CIPA wereunconstitutional. All the decisions were appealed to the Supreme Court. The SupremeCourt upheld the lower court decision on CDA in 1997. It has heard COPA twice, in2002 and 2004, and each
4、time remanded the case to a lower court; an injunction againstthe laws enforcement remains in place. The Supreme Court upheld CIPA on June 23,2003. Congress also passed the “Dot Kids” Act (P.L. 107-317), which creates a kidfriendly space on the Internet, and the “Amber Alert” Act (P.L. 108-21) which