BAD IDEA: South Carolina Lawmaker Proposes Porn-Blocker Mandate for New PCs.

South Carolina state representative Bill Chumley (R-SC 35) has pre-filed a new bill in the legislature that would require all manufacturers and sellers of computers to pre-install and pre-activate porn-blocker software that can only be unlocked by paying a $20 fee to the state of South Carolina.

The bill, which Chumley claims is meant to fight human trafficking in the state, would fine any computer manufacturer who chooses to sell a computer in the state without the blocking software, unless that manufacturer pays a $20 fee per device. If the manufacturer complies with the install order, the machine could then be unlocked after the user pays a $20 fee to the State of South Carolina and verifies their age. Fines and fees collected from the scheme would be earmarked for the SC Attorney General’s Human Trafficking Task Force.

This unenforceable — and likely unconstitutional — proposal is really about shaming South Carolinians and taking their money.

It always comes down to money and power with these people.