Laws To Protect Children Online Court challenges have stymied three out of four laws passed by Congress to protect children on the Web.	February, 1996 Communications Decency Act — Makes it a crime to display indecent material on the Internet in a manner available to children. Critics find it too broad and vague. Supreme Court declares law unconstitutional in June 1997. INACTIVE	October, 1998 Children's Online Protection Act — Establishes fines up to $50,000 for placing material that is "harmful to minors" within the easy reach of children on the Internet. This law has never gone into effect. The 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia struck it down twice, on both broad and fairly narrow grounds. And the Supreme Court has considered the case three times, ruling June 29, 2004, that the law likely violates the First Amendment. INACTIVE	October, 1998 Children's Online Privacy Protection Act — Requires commercial Web sites aimed at children to obtain parental permission before collecting personal information, like names, addresses, phone numbers or Social Security numbers, from children under 13. ACTIVE	2000 Children's Internet Protection Act — Required schools and libraries to install internet filtering as condition of federal funding. On May 31, 2002, a panel of federal appeals judges ruled the law violates the First Amendment and would restrict substantial amounts of protected speech. Was reinstated on appeal to the Supreme Court in 2003. ACTIVE