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...
Christians warn us about the anti-christ for 2,000 years, and when he shows up, they buy a bible from him.
Would that mean that ALL spam sent by ficticious usernames is now somehow illegal and if so, WHAT is anyone going to do to stop it? It'd be great if my e-mail spam folder got a break
Its the stupid way the legislature works. We need to not allow stupid laws to ride along with bills that have little to nothing to do with them. Who is going to vote against a bill against violence to women? No one so that guarantees whatever gets attached to it also gets passed.
Edit: actually I just reread that and its the "Violence Against Women" and Department of whatever bill. So the bill is for violence against women?
