Just came on this another ng, surprised there hasn't been more fuss about
it.

http://tinyurl.com/czaml
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...

.... 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."

"Martin Harran" <nospam@martinharran.com> wrote in message
news:42n8csF1k8qm2U1@individual.net...
It's a start, albiet a stupid one.


Allis
/no_sig

Pondering the eternal question of "Hobnobs or Rich Tea?", Allis finally
proclaimed:

Now that's just annoying

--
Dylan Parry
http://electricfreedom.org -- Where the Music Progressively Rocks!

Disclaimer: This post does not represent the opinion of me or my cats.

"Dylan Parry" <usenet@dylanparry.com> wrote in message
news:ti7mpow6jk9c.dlg@dylanparry.com...
I'm looking at this OE Quotefix thing now everybody's been telling me to use


Allis
/will_may_have_a_working_sig_in_a_moment

"Martin Harran" <nospam@martinharran.com> wrote in message
news:42n8csF1k8qm2U1@individual.net...
Surely its an American law - let the Americans worry about it....

There is no point me getting worked up about US laws as I have no power to
vote in different political parties to change things.

(And it was slightly debated here)

Martin Harran wrote:
Watch out, Googlenut, they're coming to get you!

"Martin Harran" <nospam@martinharran.com> wrote in
news:42n8csF1k8qm2U1@individual.net:

and the google archive, going back decades, is just sitting chockerblock
full of these them thar criminals.

I recall seeing thousands of posts by arch evil villians like 'strawberry
fields'; 'imagine'; 'techno junkie'; 'superman', etc. Smoke em out, Super
Dubya!

And later this year the government intend to make it a criminal offence to
kill yourself. Notorious suicide spots like the Golden Gate Bridge in San
Francisco will see for the first time cops armed on the bridge and
permitted to shoot would-be jumpers.

Martin Harran wrote:
: 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.

OMG Bush did something I agree with. I must write that down in the record
book. =)

Seriously though I can't say I mind this as I would never bother anyone but
I have been 'bothered' to the point I gathered evidence of the person (who
did try to hide) and called the police. I gave them everything I had printed
out and on disk.

Aside from that though I do have a concern... what checks will be done to
insure that said person they are sure was behind it really was? I mean it
would seem a good way to get revenge on someone you don't like by annoying
someone online and then tell them you are the person you don't like so they
go to jail?

I seriously hope they have some method of being sure they have the right
person.

Heidi

"Heidi" <blackcat2@gmail.com> wrote in
news:yIxxf.786$1J1.638@tornado.texas.rr.com:

I had one individual 4 or 5 years ago who was as nutty as a squirel's
breakfast (tho never certifiable, just nutty EVIL)........and he hid behind
hundreds of anon postings, over several years. He posted and forged awful
awful material. He was doing this to maybe about 10 of us in a newsgroup.

he even went round to visit, unannounced, several people on the newgroup
who may have merely disagreed with him in a single post.

We saw his obituary online in an american newspaper. He was found dead by
his girlfiend just over a year ago. She returned to find him dead on the
sofa.....most likely a heart attack or brain haemeerage. He was early 40s
and of average to slim build.

"T Wake" <taswakeAt@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:ZZCdnVJ_9dAJ71veRVnyjA@pipex.net...
Correcting myself - it was another newsgroup I saw the thread in and my
addled brain merged them all into one. Sorry.