Gov. Jindal On ACLU Sex Offender Lawsuit: "Disturbing Break from Reality"

Governor Jindal is responding to an ACLU lawsuit trying to block the enforcement of a new state law that bans access to a wide array of websites for those convicted of certain sex offenses against minors. The governor recently signed to prohibit convicted sex offenders from using social networking websites. “We will not comply with this request to allow convicted sex predators to use social networking sites. I will fight this with everything I have. If these people want to search the Internet for new victims they can do it somewhere else,” Jindal said.

The governor said it’s insulting for the ACLU to claim it’s a sex offender’s First Amendment right to use Facebook, MySpace and Craigslist. “Just a few weeks ago, federal officials announced the bust of the largest international online child pornography ring, which is connected to Louisiana and will be prosecuted here. Today, the ACLU sued us on behalf of sex offenders, wanting to strike down a law I recently signed to prohibit convicted sex offenders from using social networking sites where they could prey on our children. This lawsuit is a disturbing break from reality, even for the ACLU. As Governor and the father of three young kids, I will fight the ACLU every step of the way and do everything I can to keep our kids safe from the monsters who want to harm them.”

“The ACLU’s lawsuit represents a criminal already convicted of child pornography who wants to use social networking sites and peer-to-peer file sharing sites. This is exactly what we designed our new law to prevent. We want to protect our children from being victimized in anything like what US Attorney General Eric Holder described as ‘some of the most disturbing images, I think, you will ever see.’

“The Attorney General said ‘It’s hard to imagine a penalty severe enough’ for a crime like this. But, in Louisiana, we not only have some of the harshest penalties for sex offenders – including castration, we are working to prevent these horrific crimes from occurring in the first place by keeping sex offenders far away from our children.

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Drugmakers No Longer Able To Block Wall Posts on Facebook

Starting today, most pharmaceutical companies no longer will have the option to block public comments on their Facebook pages, marking a reversal by the social networking website, the Washington Post reports.

Details on Changes

The company will allow some drugmakers to block wall comments for specific prescription product pages, but pages that are focused on the companies themselves or that serve as disease- or patient-specific communities will be open to public comment.

Andrew Noyes, manager of public policy communications for Facebook, said, “We think these changes will help encourage an authentic dialogue on pages.”

Drugmakers’ Concerns

Many drugmakers are worried about the risks of allowing the public to comment on their Facebook walls, and some are reconsidering whether to maintain profiles on the site.

The companies are concerned that users might write about adverse side effects, promote off-label drug use or post inappropriate statements about their products, which could raise alarm among government regulators.

For example, some firms are worried that if a Facebook user posts a comment about a bad reaction to a specific drug, the company would need to file an adverse event report with FDA.

Monitoring Comments

Under the new Facebook policy, owners of profile pages still will be able to delete comments after they appear.

Andrew Widger, a spokesperson for Pfizer, said the company will keep its pages open but will “monitor to make sure no inappropriate comments are posted, and manage them if and when they occur.”

Tony Jewell, a spokesperson for AstraZeneca, said “We’re very strongly committed to social media, but we have to make sure that the amount of time and resources spent on (monitoring it for problems) is appropriate.” On Friday, AstraZeneca shut down a page devoted to depression, and Johnson Johnson is expected to close four pages today (Torres, Washington Post, 8/12).

Social Media Guidelines for Drug Industry Still in the Works

FDA has been developing guidelines for pharmaceutical companies and social media for several years.

The release of the guidelines has faced several delays, and FDA officials say they do not know when they will be finished (Scott, “Newsworks,” WHYY, 8/11).

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