Beware this new law

[Bry]

Trolling is now officially illegal in the US.

news.com.com/Create+an+e-annoyance%2C+go+to+jail/2010-1028_3-6022491.html?part=rss&tag=6022491&subj=news
(copy/past the whole thing)

"Whoever...utilizes any device or software that can be used to originate telecommunications or other types of communications that are transmitted, in whole or in part, by the Internet... without disclosing his identity and with intent to annoy, abuse, threaten, or harass any person...who receives the communications...shall be fined under title 18 or imprisoned not more than two years, or both."

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. Its a federal crime.

In other words, it's OK to flame someone on a forum, msn, skype, mailing list or in a blog etc as long as you do it under your real name.

Crazyness

[Ultraloco]

IS THE PRESIDENT CRAZY? I mean that we'll give our true identities for a stupid law?

[Graedius]

Now it's even more great to live in Canada, hahah! I can flame, insult, and otherwise pester anybody under whatever guise I see fit. Take that, America! -- Moreover, my question is, who's going to bother to enforce this law? Will you call the police station and complain that an anonymous person is insulting you over the internet?

Oh heavens!

[Shoe]

...this is just- psychotic. I'm moving. >_> Forget Bush.

[Leoshi]

...I don't believe it. It's absurd, I mean "Annoying?" That can mean alot of things! Bush is seriously messing up.

[Enrique]

... Good old Dubya. =P That is about the most unorthodox idea that I have ever heard. I mean anyone can make up some real-sounding name and use that instead. =P

[Bry]

I've heard worse. At one point the Greek government banned all video games from being played in public.
news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/2238242.stm
Though that one did get reversed in a few weeks for being unconstitutional.

Reported cases online will probably be handled by the relevent internet related services within police departments and ofcourse the FBI.

I mean that we'll give our true identities for a stupid law?

They've basically just applied to the internet laws that already exist for using a telephone. The internet is still a form of telecommunications afterall, even if it no longer depends on phone lines.

But as is, its a very vague law. And for that reason, people should be extra careful.

And don't just blame Bush. Congress approved it as well.
Though it is now in the Presidents hands if he chooses to have it enforced by the Justice Department.

[Strangie]

I better go and get arrested all the people I played Counter Strike with, then, since they annoyed the heck out of me. UH OH! I called that guy a h@xx0ring n00b! Better watch out! I might get arrested! OH NOES!!!

Seriously. I don't think this will last, though, because the article says that this stupid law is infringing on First Amendment rights. Freedom of speech, sucka.

[Yink]

Excuse my language but, screw Bush. I haven't seen him do one good thing.

[yoshi4evr]

Yea he always did things wrong and now made it worse with this crappy law!

[Yink]

Bush: "Oh no, I think there may be weapons of MASS Destruction in the Middle East. Lets go and look for them even if we don't know if they're there!"

[boomiester]

Please people, try to avoid the Bush bashing, it's completely pointless and I'll bet many of you make anti-bush statements because it seems to be the popular thing to do. As far as laws go, there are plenty worse laws than this one, and I believe that this law was approved with good intentions so stop whining and ignore it if you don't like it.

[dragonpaw]

yink said:

Bush: "Oh no, I think there may be weapons of MASS Destruction in the Middle East. Lets go and look for them even if we don't know if they're there!"

Better safe than sorry, y'know. Presidents aren't gods; they make mistakes. But I'll just be quiet now, as I'm not really involved in politics at all.


Back on the task at hand, I feel as if my righ to the freedom of speech is so protected. Pfft. I don't know why they even had to make this law; annoyances aren't exactly going to kill someone.

[Yink]

dragonpaw said:

yink said:

Bush: "Oh no, I think there may be weapons of MASS Destruction in the Middle East. Lets go and look for them even if we don't know if they're there!"

Better safe than sorry, y'know. Presidents aren't gods; they make mistakes. But I'll just be quiet now, as I'm not really involved in politics at all.


Back on the task at hand, I feel as if my righ to the freedom of speech is so protected. Pfft. I don't know why they even had to make this law; annoyances aren't exactly going to kill someone.

I'm not really either, but, I'm from the Middle East, so I don't want fighting going on there. ;-;

Yeah, and I don't normally flame people, or if I do, I honestly didn't know and didn't mean to. >_<;;

[Not-Garr]

Hehe, nice to see such a law, but it's too bad it'll be so hard to enforce, like the downloading thing, they'll catch one or two people, but it'll be sporadic and such.

And stop with the Bush bashing already, you're just jumping on the bandwagon, and that's completely stupid and idiotic. I STILL don't see how stupid Bush is, though he does use...unorthodox wording at times. And where you're from is no reason to act a certain way, Yinky. I'm from New York, should I be able to scream and flail at you? Noooooope. So, yeah, people, stop bein' stupid.

[Yink]

Erm, Bathroom, I'm not doing it anymore. xD;;

Anyways, it's only my opinion, if others love Bush, I have no problem with it, It's not that I don't like him, I just don't like what he chooses to do, even if it was a hard situation. And I'll leave it at that. ^^;

[Yesha]

I think this is a crazy thing to do, but its the law....so we can't do anything about, and now I am really glad I live in the Netherlands XD

oh and something else, I don't hate Bush but I don't like him either though =P
but I think he made a mistake now XD

[Lazo]

The trolling law wasn't signed as a stand-alone piece of legislation, it was buried in the "Violence Against Women and Department of Justice Reauthorization Act." Something that would be political suicide to deny. Bush really didn't have much of a choice on the matter. He can still direct the Justice Department to not enforce it.

[Anjil]

Bush: "Oh no, I think there may be weapons of MASS Destruction in the Middle East. Lets go and look for them even if we don't know if they're there!"

I think I'd rather not have another 9/11 happen because we didn't take any action. Like Pawy said, better safe than sorry. I seriously have noticed that people will bash Bush even though they have no idea about politics. Maybe it's the 'cool' thing to do.

Anyway, that new law is... interesting. Maybe it's best to not flame, insult, or troll around at all, if you're so bothered by it. *shrugs*

[Bry]

I think people aren't reading this quite right.

Comparing it to downloading isn't exactly relevent. At all.

No, there won't be a taskforce or such dedicated to hunting down people who do this. Whatever law enforcement agency won't actively be searching through message boards for flamers and trollers.

How this will work is that if you do, for example, flame someone on a message board, the person you attacked will be within their rights to report you to authorities and from there the FBI or whoever it is will be obliged to backtrack from your post and find you.
Something that's not all that hard to do if people know how.
The messageboard for example will have logged your IP and tracing it back to you can go from there.
Then it will likely go to court.

So naturally not every single case is going to be investigated or even reported.

But the ones that are reported...