Perspective: Create an e-annoyance, go to jail: Bush no anonymous internet

[NVMojo]

Gee, wonder if he's after DU???

January 9, 2006

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.

http://news.com.com/Create+an+e-annoyance,+go+to+jail/2010-1028_3-6022491.html

[JDPriestly]

1. "Annoying" to whom?

I find a lot of stuff on the internet "annoying," such as the website of a certain radio personality who shall be nameless and who spouts right-wing hate rhetoric the entire day (come to think of it, there is more than one). How can I be certain that these radio "personalities" are posting under their own names? Also, am I supposed to report this to the federal prosecutor's office, the FBI? Aren't they going to get a lot of complaints? How are they going to decide which ones to prosecute? Will they apply an ideological litmus test? Civil damages maybe, but criminal penalties?

I receive hundreds of annoying spam e-mails every day, but (Thank you Yahoo. I'm deeply grateful.), my e-mail service provider directs them to my spam account and I deep six them regularly without even seeing their ugly little addresses. Am I failing to do my civic duty by ridding my computer of these annoying messages without reporting them?

If annoying people on the internet is a crime, how about annoying TV shows? Shouldn't they be considered crimes also? I found the TV so annoying about five years ago that I pretty much stopped watching it. Not only did we cancel our cable subscription, but our rabbit ears are no longer properly attached.

Also, how can I know whether I am actually annoying someone. Do they have to prove that I had the intent to annoy? Without more information, this is just one of those nutty laws that will be a nightmare to enforce -- like sodomy laws.

[NVMojo]

2. the key to annoying is being anonymous while doing it, according to *

what an asshat.

[tulsakatz]

3. intent

I think it would be too difficult to prove the author's intent. I mean, I've read lots of stuff on the internet that could've been posted to insult someone or they could say, 'I was kidding!'

How would they be able to prove that the person really intended to provoke a negative response.

True, if you tell someone who you are, it's ok to annoy someone (according to this law), but even if someone gives you their name, how do you know they're telling you the truth about that? I mean, if someone really wants to annoy (or insult) you, chances are........they're not exactly be forthcoming with the truth about who they are!