The Utah Information Technology Association (UITA) supports substitute HB 165 because it is a reasonable compromise to assist Utah’s Attorney General in prosecuting predators and those who inappropriately target our children through electronic media.

Additions have been made to HB 165 that enhance the value of a Registry including a delayed effective date and phased implementation that allows for additional evaluation of how to best implement this anti-spam tool. Also a key component is disclosure to parents of the risks that are associated with subscribing to a Registry.

Prosecuting those who target our children with pornography and other objectionable material is an important issue to the high-tech community. No solution is completely secure. It's valuable to have the State of Utahwork together with industry to create an acceptable process where the risks associated with compiling lists of email addresses and phone numbers are outweighed by the law enforcement benefits.

For those who desire more tools to protect children than are currently available on the Internet, a Registry may be a next step. However, UITA recognizes that the only way to adequately protect children is to have parents supervise use and to review email and other correspondence before it gets to their children.