FAQ: The new ANNOY law explained (TROLLING)

[Jared Moya]

Q: So what does the rewritten law now say?

 
The section as amended reads like this: "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."

 

(The law)...covers any types of "communications that are transmitted, in whole or in part, by the Internet"--not just VoIP conversations. Also, it covers any person "who receives the communications" rather than a narrower definition that could have been written as "an individual intentionally targeted as the recipient of the communications."

 

The law criminalizes certain acts intended to "annoy, abuse, threaten, or harass any person." Deleting the word "annoy" from that lineup would probably have eliminated the free speech problems. But Congress chose not to do so.

Read the complete article

[Class316]

I guess half the Internet is going to jail!

[Auggie2k]

Damn, CJ would be serving about 50 life sentences.

[CrashPeer44]

if you don't like the interent, don't use It, problem solved

[my name]

You americans better wake up.
your democracy is at the point of no return, if you dont wake up its gone.

[Burd]

So, if I'm having a debate with someone (as we often do here) and I say something that s/he diisagrees with (which is obvious, since it's a debate), then I have borken the law. So, we all have to be nice and not "annoy" anyone. BORING! ( Hope I haven't annoyed anyone with this comment.)

[GiR]

Now this could be fun. What if the rest of the world decided its FUN to annoy americans? Trying to annoy us back would be breaking YOU'RE new law,.. how fun is that? Now don't any of you yankey scum piss me off or i'll have your ass gang raped in JAIL MOTHER FUCKERS!! But no seriously, if this isn't the worst law against freedom, i don't know what is,..