“The human trafficking thing has exploded. It’s gotten to be a real problem,” Chumley told GoUpstate.
Sellers who wish to get around the block would have to pay a $20-per-device fee to opt out of the filter. Purchasers who do not want their internet censored would be required to verify that they are over 18, and then pay the $20 to have it removed.
“If an end user buys an apparatus, a computer, and they want access to that, they would have to pay to have that filter removed,” Chumley stated.
The filter would also have a system in place for users to report any obscene content that made it past their filter.
The money raised from the opt-outs would go toward the Attorney General Office’s human trafficking task force.
“If we could have manufacturers install filters that would be shipped to South Carolina, then anything that children have access on for pornography would be blocked,” Chumley said. “We felt like that would be another way to fight human trafficking.”
While few would argue against fighting human trafficking, many are expressing concern about the potential impact that online censoring would have on rights enshrined in the First Amendment of the US Constitution.
