Loss of Privacy

A Georgia law, set to take effect today, aggressively targets sex offenders, forcing them to hand over their online passwords.  This includes passwords, screen names, and e-mail addresses.  Georgia now joins a few other states that are complying with a 2006 federal law that requires authorities to track sex offenders’ IP addresses.  The main difference with Georgia is that it has added the extra step of forcing sex offenders to turn over more than is required by federal law.

“There’s certainly a privacy concern,” said Sara Totonchi of the Atlanta-based Southern Center for Human Rights. “This essentially will give law enforcement the ability to read e-mails between family members, between employers.”

Staton said although the measure may violate the privacy of sex offenders, the need to protect children “outweighs a lot of the rights of these individuals.”

Oh, it’s for the children.  Alrighty then.  That makes it all okay, right?  I mean, it’s not like the whole world isn’t safe for children.

“We limit where they can live, we make their information available on the Internet. To some degree, we do invade their privacy,” said Staton, a Republican from Macon. “But the feeling is, they have forfeited, to some degree, some privacy rights.”

If you’ve done your time and allowed to leave prison, you were deemed not a threat to society.  Otherwise, there really is no equality under the law.  No one, ever, should be punished in perpetuity for their crimes.

So, if you live in Georgia and you’ve been convicted of urinating in public, this law applies to you.  If you live in Georgia and have been convicted of having oral sex with your girlfriend/boyfriend because she/he was under the age of consent, this law applies to you.  If you live in Georgia and take naked photos of yourself and put them online, this law applies to you.  If you live in Georgia and go streaking, only to be arrested for indecent exposure, this law applies to you.

If you are a violent felon, such as a pedophile or rapist, I don’t have a problem with the government making sure you don’t continue to commit your crimes, but only for a certain time.  After that, much like a car thief or embezzler, you should be free to go.  The law must change to reflect the severity of your crime.  Those who are required to be on the list, but are in no way going to re-offend, should not be required to follow this law.

If the people allow this “inch” the government will take a “mile” and soon, even though you think you’re innocent, you will have to turn over this information as well.  It starts with “save the children” and ends with “do it for your own good.”

Remember, everyone in America has the right to the Fifth Amendment and Ex Post Facto.  These laws violate both.  The Courts will continue [pdf] to have opinions on this matter, but, hopefully, the laws will be overturned as unconstitutional.