Anonymous comments are allowed for this entry

By now you’ve probably heard the news that last week President Bush signed a bill into law that makes it illegal to annoy someone on the internet anonymously.

This, of course, is the stupidest thing anyone has ever heard about anything. The Internet’s second biggest activity (next to porn) is annoying people anonymously. About half of the email I get is anonymous messages that annoy me. (Not just intentional annoyance, of course, but spam and other correspondence usually annoys me, too.)

I’m all for making the Internet a friendlier place to, uh, chill in. And I suppose the bill — which reads (deep breath) “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” — is meant to stop cyberstalking or extreme harassment.

And, really, who’s going to try to charge someone with a crime for posting “your blog sux lol” as a comment because they didn’t sign it? On a side note, by posting a comment here or to any other blog you’re giving the owner of the blog your IP address to attach to your comments. So, you could be caught. But then again, you’re disclosing your identity in a weird techie way by doing it. I think I’ve found a way around the law.

Actually, in another sense, couldn’t you read this law that, say, PW’s “Heroes & Goats” or Citypaper’s “Bell Curve” column, both done in the paper and also posted online without an author, be considered illegal under this law? There’s no end to the countless nitpicky variations we bloggers can come up with when we put our heads together!

By the way, the reason you’re just hearing about this now is because this bill was slipped into the Violence Against Women and Department of Justice Reauthorization Act, a must-pass bill. Apparently there was no more room for riders in the Puppies and Kittens Need Hugs From Babies Act.

But, really, is any of this surprising? Congress passing an almost unenforcable, very ridiculous law, Congress not understanding technology, politicians doing something sneaky: Yawn. Call me when a senator ends up with a blonde 18-year-old on his lap. Then I’ll be a little more interested.

Actually, that’s been done too. Better make it a blonde 18-year-old who’s been illegally lobbying and revealing the names of covert CIA agents to journalists left and right!

Create an annoyance, go to jail [CNet News]