"Annoying someone via the Internet is now a federal crime"

[kpete]

Perspective: Create an e-annoyance, go to jail
By Declan McCullagh

Published: January 9, 2006, 4:00 AM PST
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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.

It's illegal to annoy
A new federal law states that when you annoy someone on the Internet, you must disclose your identity. Here's the relevant language.

"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."
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.

"The use of the word 'annoy' is particularly problematic," says Marv Johnson, legislative counsel for the American Civil Liberties Union. "What's annoying to one person may not be annoying to someone else."

http://news.com.com/Create+an+e-annoyance%2C+go+to+jail/2010-1028_3-6022491.html?part=rss&tag=6022491&subj=news
via:http://atrios.blogspot.com/

[ixion]

1. spam?

that's pretty annoying... a bane, in fact, and a vast majority of it is spoofed. Think they're going to do anything about that? :eyes:

[Oreo]

2. Bush annoys me everyday over the Internets...

Why hasn't he been arrested yet?

[politicat]

26. He's using his real name.

It's okay to do it as long as you use your name....

Sigh.

[formercia]

3. knock, knock

There's two men at my door dressed like the Blues Brothers. I must be doing my job...........

[converted_democrat]

4. When does the law go into effect? n/t

[rpgamerd00d]

5. Dear President Bush

Fuck you.

Signed,
Anonymous

p.s. Fuck you, try to prosecute me.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

6. I could see this law being abused big-time.

[justabob]

8. Yes, this is very disturbing to me nt

[rocktivity]

7. Legally define "annoy."

:shrug:
rocknation

[InsultComicDog]

11. Exactly

It's too vague to be enforceable

[justabob]

12. vague enough to be enforced arbitrarily

which means only people speaking the truth will ever be bothered by this.

[rpgamerd00d]

9. This law is flawed. "Intent"

Fuck You, Bush!
p.s. I am not *intending* to annoy you with this message.
p.p.s. Fuck You! Neener neener.

[mike_c]

10. this post annoys me....

I'm gonna have to put the FBI on speed dial as long as I stay on DU! What? You wanna make a federal case about it? :rofl:

[woodsprite]

15. Put it on speed-dial and then join FreeRepublic. Could get alot

of "annoying" messages that way.

[TahitiNut]

19. All 'Alert' buttons must now be directed to the FBI.

:puke:

[China_cat]

13. The only good thing about this law

that I can see is that I will finally have a chance to get rid of my cyber stalker who has done more than 'annoy' me, including repeated attempts to hack my domain, using my domain name to send some really filthy spam, and virus attacks both on me and on people who do business with me.

[sugapablo]

14. That's why subuse.net exists

I made subuse.net as a message board that's 100% annonymous. No emai verification, nothing. Just pure free speech.

http://subuse.net

[C_U_L8R]

16. And those freepers

are annoying EVERYONE via the internets.

Perhaps a class action suit is in order....afterall RimJob has been
stuffing all those "contributions" into his own pockets... on second thought,
it doesn't loook like his "fundraising" is going so well. Nevermind.

[TahitiNut]

17. What's the constitutional half-life of such a law?

Let's say I'm in the supermarket parking lot and call a driver an 'Asshole!' Am I then required to produce identification? This is but another assault on privacy - a favorite pastime of this regime and another step toward 1984.

I figure all single females between the ages of 18 and 40 are 'annoying' ... so I want their names, addresses, and phone numbers.

This is the "Stalker Support Law" ... a guaranteed fiasco.

[ContraBass Black]

25. Thirty Seconds.

It's all kinds of radioactive.

[jsamuel]

18. Free-Speach issue?

ACLU?

[dogday]

20. I am having a problem with annoyance

on my site. Poker sites keep posting their links over and over and over, some days I have to delete over 100 entries. I would call this annoying. The funny thing about it is that I have put my guest book on approval only, so the entries never show until I allow them to show, so the poker sites never get seen at all yet they still post....

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

21. Dammit!

Looks like I'm going to have to find a new hobby.

[rucky]

22. Can I Vex? Irk? Cajole? n/t

[insane_cratic_gal]

23. abuse, threaten, harass. They did this to Andy

Will they be prosecuted now?

[ContraBass Black]

24. Well, since we're all using handles and annoying Republicans here,

There's plenty of room to hide in my basement. Come on over.

[Kber]

27. "any person who receives the communication'???

What about nytimes.com articles w/ no bi-line. Or the associated press - sometimes posts articles w/out a bi-line. Will those count? What about advertisements?