The Online 'Grooming' Of House Pages

Much of political America is preoccupied with sex these days -- the cyber sex that former Rep. Mark Foley of Florida reportedly had or wanted to have with congressioinal pages -- and the discussion has prompted some talk of new laws.

The question some people on Capitol Hill are asking is whether Foley's explicit electronic communications with some pages was his attempt at "grooming" them for illegal sexual activities. Cyber-law expert Parry Aftab has been deluged with calls from Hill aides asking about the limitations of federal law in punishing such grooming.

Aftab said federal laws require proof of intent to perform criminally liable sexual acts. She has not decided for herself whether stronger laws against grooming are needed.

Other news on the technology front includes a push to grant telecommunications firms liability for anti-terrorism surveillance ordered by the government, the status of the fight for a permanent Internet tax moratorium, and the FCC's first field hearing on media ownership. Listen to the podcast for details.