Now Illegal to Annoy on the Internet Anonymously!

[N. A. Corbier]

From: http://www.livejournal.com/community...8.html?#cutid1
Annoying someone via the Internet is now a federal crime.

It's no joke. Last Thursday, President Bush signed into law a prohibition on posting annoying Web messages or sending annoying e-mail messages without disclosing your true identity.

In other words, it's OK to flame someone on a mailing list or in a blog as long as you do it under your real name. Thank Congress for small favors, I guess.

This ridiculous prohibition, which would likely imperil much of Usenet, is buried in the so-called Violence Against Women and Department of Justice Reauthorization Act. Criminal penalties include stiff fines and two years in prison.

Originally from news.com.com (http://news.com.com/Create+an+e-anno...2491&subj=news)

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Forums, IRC, webpages, IMs... This should be insane.

[Will]

So, that basically means half the country is going to jail!

[N. A. Corbier]

So, that basically means half the country is going to jail!

Amusingly enough, its always been illegal. This just adds "other methods of connecting to the internet" to the list of applicable ways that you can be charged with annoying people on the telephone network.

[Mr. Security]

Typical. When will they learn that passing more laws isn't the solution. They can't even enforce the laws that are already on the books.

[bigdog]

how will they enforce that their is no jurisdiction for the internet?

[Guest]

This new law is not worth the paper it is written on. The ACLU is already onto it. Where does freedom of speech end and annoyance begin? Unenforceable.

[Taser]

Y'know, Mayor...you're really starting to annoy me...

[Guest]

I'll the cops and turn myself in for breaking this federal law.

[N. A. Corbier]

Funny part is, this has been the law of the land since 1996, at least, possibly longer. It just applied to telephone networks. This new law closes the loophole that those of us who connect to the internet through LAN at work, cable modems, and other non-telephone exchanges may not violate the "harassing caller" law.

[Mr. Security]

Funny part is, this has been the law of the land since 1996, at least, possibly longer. It just applied to telephone networks. This new law closes the loophole that those of us who connect to the internet through LAN at work, cable modems, and other non-telephone exchanges may not violate the "harassing caller" law.

And just look at all the convictions!