Wednesday, 20 November 2013

Congress Chooses To Not Make On The Internet Mistruths A Felony Criminal Offense

By Cornelius Nunev


The so-called "Facebook Felony" law that was discussed in Congress before Sept. 14th was, in several ways, concerning. George Washington University regulation teacher Orin Kerr specified the possible outcomes in a Wall Street Journal op-ed. Amendments to the bill in Congress have obliterated that possibility, but legislators fortifying laws against computer fraud is still in front of Congress.

What is a Facebook Felony

As teacher Kerr talked about, strengthening of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, first written in 1986, would have made any lie online a felony. This regulation would have been in impact on all web sites and with all services on the internet. It could possibly be a felony to make an account with a phony name, fake age or even fake weight with the regulation. Targeting hackers that are going to hurt networks have caused the change to the regulation.

Individual individuals affected

The update to the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act is discussed an amendment by the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee after suggestions for people such as Kerr. The amendment specifically exempts "access in violation of a contractual obligation or agreement, such as an acceptable use policy or terms of service agreement, with an Internet service provider, Internet site, or non-government employer, if such violation constitutes the sole cause for determining that access to a guarded computer is unauthorized." In the debate over adding the amendment, Al Franken and Chuck Grassley used numerous examples that were not ethical but most likely should not qualify as a felony. Things such as reviewing your business positively on FourSquare with anonymous accounts are unethical although they do not constitute a felony. In order to get bullies prosecuted, cyber security Statues has been used.

What to view out for

There is certainly an ever-increasing focus on online identity and security, no matter what Congress does. In 2009, the Justice Department prosecuted a woman for creating a fake profile on MySpace. One person created a program to buy tickets from TicketMaster last year. This led to prosecution too. Civil cases will often use laws preventing unauthorized access. Following the terms of service on any site you choose to use is always significant. The likelihood that you will be prosecuted for telling lies about your age on a dating site might be low, but it is always a good idea to read and understand the full terms of service so you know the rights and responsibilities you will be held accountable for.




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