It's against the law to be annoying on message boards

[BigWaxer]

Thought it was a funny story, no need to ban on the flames call the POLICE!

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.

Catch the rest of the article here:
http://news.com.com/Create+an+e-annoyance,+go+to+jail/2010-1028_3-6022491.html

 

[RoyalDiva]

This just doesn't sound right. I have doubts about the validity of this news story. Are you sure it wasn't from a 'joke news' website? If this were true, then just about every website forum or blog would have to be shut down because people could not post anonymously anymore.

 

[Fillmoe]

how bout bush find some way to lower gas prices instead of signing useless garbage like this...... idiot.

 

[RoyalDiva]

how bout we stick to the subject of this thread so as not to get it closed due to prohibited political discussion

 

[Folsom Al]

One Man's/Woman's poison is another man's/woman's pleasure ....

 

[Mr. S£im Citrus]

This just doesn't sound right. I have doubts about the validity of this news story. Are you sure it wasn't from a 'joke news' website? If this were true, then just about every website forum or blog would have to be shut down because people could not post anonymously anymore.

The story is legit... sort of:

The section of the bill in question (sec. 113) ammends a couple of paragraphs in U.S.C. 47223 (Title XLVII, Chapter 5, Subchapter II, Part 1, § 223). It certainly doesn't say that you can't post anonymously on the internet, just that you can't anonymously harrass people on the internet.

It doesn't actually say anything like what that article implies, although I suppose a good lawyer could argue that that's what it means. You'd have to ask someone who's more astute in law than me.

how bout bush find some way to lower gas prices instead of signing useless garbage like this......

You didn't make any attempt to read the legislation, did you? Are you at all aware that this was just a rider tucked into a bill that was written to review and re-new the Violence Against Women Act of 1994? This bill was overdue.

Have you ever written your Congressman to ask them why a bill to lower gas prices hasn't been brought before the President to sign?

 

[Bricklayer]

Have you ever written your Congressman to ask them why a bill to lower gas prices hasn't been brought before the President to sign?

Because Dick Cheney would burn it before it ever hit Junior's desk?



Unfortunately its a minor little provision, but one that with the potential for overreaching and abuse and that could well result in court cases at some point to test it. Its also kind of political so think to be safe that as they say is that for this thread.