Nasty Anonymous Posters WATCH OUT!

[Richard Kaufman]

David Britland sent me to a story from CNET news which reported:

" Annoying someone via the Internet is now a federal crime. ... 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. ... Criminal penalties include stiff fines and two years in prison."

[magicam]

Well, the idea isn't bad, but is enforcement feasible? What's does "annoying" mean anyway? There has to be more than this to the statute. As stated above, I see plenty of first amendment challenges. Clay

[Richard Kaufman]

Why, Clay, I would think that you would know what "annoying" means!

:)

[magicam]

Now that hurts ....

[Jonathan Townsend]

Originally posted by Richard Kaufman:
... disclosing your true identity. ... Criminal penalties include stiff fines and two years in prison."

Okay, which one of you is Superman?

[rich aviles]

There is more information about this at www.boingboing.net

[Terrence]

Given the track record, it's probably called "The Protection of Internet Free Speech Zones Act".

[Richard Kaufman]

It's just a playful nudge, Clay. :)

[Bill Palmer]

I wonder how this affects anonymous blogs.

[Q. Kumber]

I don't think it affects the right to free speech in the least. Because surely the right to free speech implies that people know who the speaker is. The law specifically refers to annonymous postings.

[magicam]

Rich wrote

There is more information about this at www.boingboing.net

Thanks for the link, Rich. After reading the discussion there, it sounds like the law doesn't mean anything like what CNET said. Perhaps a case of sensationalistic journalism (with apologies to the real journalists out there).

Clay

P.S. Anent RK's playful nudge, it also sounds like I'm not going to jail just yet ...

[Bill Palmer]

I wonder if this means that Magic Circle Jerk and Judge X are open to prosecution if the continue to post without revealing their true identities.

[Guest]

Bill, I sure hope that is not the case....If it is, I WASTED 26 years in the military protecting the rights of ass holes to pick on me on the internet....hehe

opie