Fun & Games may be over on this web site - Page 1

Recently a new Federal Law was passed in the USA which outlaws anonymous cyber harrassment on the internet and in phone communications. The key here is that anyone assuming single or multiple identities (and not using their real name and e-mail address) to conceal their actual identity to annoy or harass others is liable to felony prosecution and if convicted could get a two year prison sentence. What this means then is that anyone who does this within the USA even to another individual located outside the USA or to another US citizen is liable to be investigated and arrested under this statute. The US Congress has taken a very serious attitude about anonymous harrassment and annoying on the web. Conviction of this felony likely would mean a revocation of any police officer's license (if the offender is an officer), loss of commission for an officer in the military or reserves (if the offender is in the military), and likely loss of any government based office or managerial or executive based position. Certainly many employers would terminate one's employment based on any conviction under this statute. The new law is discussed in the following article. Perhaps this new USA law will allow the many esteemed individuals who were previously harassed and driven from this site to return and once again provide all of us with invaluable information. Wouldn't that be great news? http://news.com.com/2102-1028_3-6025396.html?tag=st.util.print

Unfortunatly I tried the link and was unable to get to the article. Did they say who was going to be tasked with enforceing it and if any funding was given for enforcement action. Just curious as alot of good laws are passed but without consideration of funding to the agency tasked with enforceing it and thus enforcement is very limited.

Preston, Dream on. It isn't going to happen. No one in their right mind would enforce such a law. We do not even have the resources to enforce the serious crimes in this country, let alone deal with the internet child pornography and predator issue...... There are ways to deal with harrassing email. SPELL IT DELETE, BLOCK etc.

Ed, the last part needed to be cut off. http://news.com.com/2102-1028_3-6025396.html To my opinion, I hope there will be a law like it which will give many of us whom have been harassed at least some satisfaction.

I agree with hodie. It might be a law but it doesn't mean that it's going to be enforced. Do you know how many pedophiles are online each day? MANY! Theirs so many that Law enforcements cant bust all of them... Such news stations like NBC ( Dateline) usually have their own investigation to track down pedophiles and when their busted... They don't arrest the people but to interview them as of why they do the kind of stuffs that they do. As much as I hate people picking on me I prefer to ignore them and let them suffer by not fueling them with hostile words. Theirs bigger problems that's happening over the internet right now like people preying on innocent children that we need to focus on m

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EDD & hodie: copy the whole web address as is (note that there is no www. in the address. This will take you to an article that explains it. Yes, the law is real. The authorities purposely have kept it quiet for the usual law enforcement reasons. It makes it easier to "charge up" and offender they want to railroad with a multitude of felony counts if the offender doesn't know about the law. This law poses the greatest threat to those who have a public position, a high profile, or public licensing who anonymously use the web to purposely annoy or harass others: individuals who violate this law who are police officers, firemen, military, public officials, school teachers or those with licensing which can be revoked. The law is serious (being a felony with up to two years in jail)and although it may be differentially enforced, it can pose a serious threat. There are enforcement bodies available such as federal e-crime task forces (regional), the fbi and other federal agencies which can use this law. Every computer generates a CPU id number with each e-mail, so all, that is, all emails are traceable to the computer used. Also, there are secret key logging programs and backdoors used by law enforcement which are embedded in everyday software which most don't know about (including windows!). Identifying a repeated violator who seriously damages a website and poses a significant annoyer and harasser of participants on that web site is easily identifiable to these investigative bodies. Anyone who claims to know about web legal isues and cyberstalking would be very afraid of repeatedly and purposefully violating this law in the USA. There is seriouis concern in the US Congresss about cyber-stalking and anonymous cyber-harassment. Sen. Charles Schumer is a leader in this. Of course, it would be much better if Ollie or an appointed represenetative of his, would validate identiities like Ed Frawley does on his excellent site, and would then bar any such repeated offenders and from this site and remove their posting.

Q: Someone has been annoying me on the Internet, and it's getting serious. What can I do? Keep in mind that the new law has only criminal sanctions, so you can't sue someone directly (unless they're already violating other laws). Also remember that it only applies to a person who is intentionally annoying "without disclosing his identity." You'd have to contact your local FBI office or U.S. Attorney. But don't be surprised if they place you way down on their priority list. Q: Some people, including law professor Orin Kerr, say the existence of the First Amendment means we shouldn't worry. There is a lot more about it at that URL,

SUPER-DAVE: Enforcement is always differential. However several factors figure in, such as: how many people are harasssed or anoyed annonymously by this individual; is this individual a public official, police officer, military oficer, fireman, or a licnsed individual in public service; did the harasser/annoyer make serious threats to harm or "seriously mess" with the person's life as one such individual did to an esteemed poster on this site. Any normal person would take this as a potentially lethal threat. This same individual made veiled threats against me about "throwing my body in a garbage truck" etc. These communications I am referring to were very close to terroristic threats if not actiually terroristic threats. Now, under this new law these acts are potentially prosecutable, with additional federal offenses "piled on" or stacked. Most folks don't understand software backdoors and key logging secret software used by law enforcement or that every laser printer ever manufactured prints a microscopic id number on each page which identifies that printer and only that printer. All e-mails acrry cpu identifying numbers. It is rumored that all ink jets also print specific identifiers. The individual I am referring to had some knowledge of the cyber crime teminology and used it to threaten others and attempt to manipulate/harass/annoy them. This individual knew how to run very close to the line without crossing it repeatedly. Now I think that this individual understands his prior behavior would cross that line now and he may lose a lot for it personally if it continues.

The individual I am referring to wreaked havoc and chaos on this web site in regular, periodic cycles followed by months of absence. He(or she) almost singlehandedly destroyed this web site. Certainly he drove out at least 90% of the esteemed posters with many years each of breeding, training & showing experience in German Shepherd Dogs. How is it Oli or his appointed monitors allowed such a single individual assuming many different false cloak names to wreak such havoc and chaos on this site? Why wasn't this person and all the various identities barred forever from this site. The whole site sunk to a "bottom feeder" level of discourse and several other "bottom feeders", each significantly disturbed, dysfunctional individuals took more and more prominant and destructive positions in their postings. Oli, how about taking steps to keeps these sickos, degenerates and abusers (or agent provacateurs) off of your web site? I have talked to a number of very fine folks who are well respected breeders who left the site and will never return unless these degenerates are kicked off the site. Oli, you can institute proper and validated name registration without posters and readers having to listtheir actual names, phone numbers and/or addresses to anyone but you. Call Ed Frawley and ask how he doers it. He is a fine man and he will probably give you advice on how to stop the sickos. I know he has done a great job doing so on his excellent site.