Annoying someone via the Internet is now a federal crime.

CNET ^ | January 9, 2006 | Declan McCullagh

[MensRightsActivist]

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.

[MensRightsActivist]

It appears this new law has the potential to make criminals of bloggers everywhere.

[SlowBoat407]

Does this bug you? I'm not touching you. I'm not touching you. Does this bug you?

[WoofDog123]

Want to be in 10 years this has morphed into something impacting political speech?

[Jersey Republican Biker Chick]

PING!!!!

I know you will want to check this out!

[ANGGAPO]

The bill is sponsored yo the Democrats no doubt.

[dead]

I am about to commit a felony:

[flashbunny]

WTF?

[Flightdeck]

I hope there's no grandfather clause, considering some of the conversations I've had here on FR.

[KarlInOhio]

Fortunately InOhio is my last name, so I can be as annoying as I want.

[YouPosting2Me]

Does this apply to illegal aliens as well?

(hmmm)

[oldbrowser]

It appears this new law has the potential to make criminals of bloggers everywhere.

It will selectively enforced to harass, intimidate, and annoy those that can't be prosecuted otherwise.

[Thrusher]

Our esteemed politicians can't seem to grasp this simple point, but the First Amendment protects our right to write something that annoys someone else.

Our "esteemed politicians" aren't the only ones who can't seem to grasp this.

[mysterio]

Unbelievable. I thought this was scrappleface. More free speech infringement.

[YouPosting2Me]

Does this eliminate the MSM's "Unidentified/Unnamed reliable source"?

[Palpatine]

it all depends on what the definition of 'annoying is'. Perspective seems to be the word here.

[martin_fierro]

President Bush signed into law a prohibition on posting annoying Web messages

I'm putting all of you on report.

[upchuck]

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.

Guess this finishes off the spammers, huh?

NOT!

[TomGuy]

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.

Now, how do they intend to enforce that? What idiots!

Most people who have any Internet experience use aliases --- several, in fact.

This is another ridiculous nightmare piece of legislation that may look good on paper, but is very impractical in reality.

[Crazieman]

You annoyed me. I'm tellin'

[Marak]

What, no more ZOTS?

[BJClinton]

The bill is sponsored yo the Democrats no doubt.

Kinda, Good ol' Scottish Law.

[brownsfan]

"It appears this new law has the potential to make criminals of bloggers everywhere."

They don't take it all at once, it's little by little, bit by bit. And people in America are more concerned about American Idol, or who will be in the Super Bowl than silly issues about rights.
This is not the America I grew up in, and I feel powerless to stop the trend.

[Jersey Republican Biker Chick]

Guilty!

[BallyBill]

I will probably get the Death Penalty!

[isom35]

wow, I wish we had this during my quake playing days. a lot of guys sure annoyed me during capture the flag games.

[Mr. Brightside]

I retract everything.

[M203M4]

Wanna hear the most annoying sound in the world?

[Publius6961]

You're under arrest!

[Protect the Bill of Rights]

more.....from above article:

To grease the rails for this idea, Sen. Arlen Specter, a Pennsylvania Republican, and the section's other sponsors slipped it into an unrelated, must-pass bill to fund the Department of Justice. The plan: to make it politically infeasible for politicians to oppose the measure.

The tactic worked. The bill cleared the House of Representatives by voice vote, and the Senate unanimously approved it Dec. 16.

So in layman's terms if I wanted to annoy you and called you a poopyhead without revealing my true identity, I could go to jail for 2 years? Is this a great country or what? /sarcasm

[TheBigB]

Annoying someone via the Internet is now a federal crime.

Doing so in person still perfectly legal, and actively encouraged. =)

[Jersey Republican Biker Chick]

Buried deep in the new law is Sec. 113, an innocuously titled bit called "Preventing Cyberstalking." It rewrites existing telephone harassment law to prohibit anyone from using the Internet "without disclosing his identity and with intent to annoy."

[The Lumster]

The bill is sponsored yo the Democrats no doubt.

Nope - guess again

To grease the rails for this idea, Sen. Arlen Specter, a Pennsylvania Republican, and the section's other sponsors slipped it into an unrelated, must-pass bill to fund the Department of Justice. The plan: to make it politically infeasible for politicians to oppose the measure.

It seems politicians of all stripes hate free speech

[houeto]

What, no more ZOTS?

No. Trolling just comes with stiffer penalties.

[T-Bird45]

Does this mean the Viking Kitties now have extra-legal powers and authority to address the troll population?

May I suggest DU as nest of pestilence that deserves high placement on the target list?

[HawaiianGecko]

 

Paul Krugman, Maureen Dowd and Tim Moran annoy the daylights out of me. Helen Thomas of course is in a league of her own... does this law cover people who exasperate people?

[M203M4]

The war on annoying has been declared? THE INTERWEB IS DOOMED.

[M203M4]

The war on annoying has been declared? THE INTERWEB IS DOOMED.

[M203M4]

The war on annoying has been declared? THE INTERWEB IS DOOMED.

[M203M4]

The war on annoying has been declared? THE INTERWEB IS DOOMED.

[Ol' Sox]

Booga Booga!

Come and get me, coppers! You'll never take me alive!

[TomGuy]

I know several who annoy me on FR.

This is gonna be fun.

[NormsRevenge]

hmmm.. I'm annoyed now, who do I sue?

You, the anonymous poster?

The FCC that permits and "regulates" the networks that this and other varied open dialogue and discourse occur on day in and out?

Congre$$ for even thinking they have a divine right to tell people what they can or can not do or say when it comes to their imposing unreasonable boundaries on all for the excesses of some?

[TheBigB]

Multiple postings annoy me.

[hispanarepublicana]

We are screwn.

[L,TOWM]

Might as well fit me for the cuffs right now. Every troll since 2000 has probably gotten irritated with the screen name alone.

[Publius6961]

it all depends on what the definition of 'annoying is'. Perspective seems to be the word here.

Depends on no such thing.
It is clearly evident that there are miilions of professional annoyees, and they feel entitled to decide what annoys them:

Merry Christmas
God Bless you
God Bless America
In God we trust
Etc.

[Charles Henrickson]

Want to be on my Annoying Ping List? Don't bother to FReepmail me, you're already on it.

BTW, my real name is martin_fierro.

[Mojave]

Does this apply to FreepMail?

[thackney]

ping

[HawaiianGecko]

 

I wonder what "Preventing Cyber stalking" will do to neat little features such as Yahoo Alerts?