Nov 20, 2013

Online Lies Won't Be Felony Crimes, Agrees Congress

By Cornelius Nunev


George Washington University teacher Orin Kerr elevated blood pressures around the country on September 14. The Op-Ed he authored for the Wall Street Journal, published that day, specified the horrors of the so-called "Facebook Felony" regulation. The felony provision has been amended out of the bill. However, Congress is still contemplating a cyber-security bill.

Ways to have Facebook Felony out of your life

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. With the regulation, it would not have been okay to lie on the internet at any time. This integrated during all services. This means that creating an account with a fake name, lying about your age, or even putting a fake weight on a dating profile could all count as felonies. The change to the regulation is intended, however, to target hackers that challenge the security of significant computer networks.

Idea to help people

Urged by Kerr and others, the Senate Judiciary Committee considers the update to the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act added an amendment. 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 basis for determining that access to a protected computer is unauthorized." During the amendment debate, there were many examples brought up by Al Franken and Chuck Grassley. These amendments were things that shouldn't be a felony even if they are not the most ethical choices. Things such as reviewing your business positively on FourSquare with anonymous accounts are unethical although they don't constitute a felony. To be able to get bullies prosecuted, cyber security Statues has been used.

What this means for you

Congress could choose to do nothing with cyber security. Still, increasingly more people are concerned about online identity and security. In 2009, the Justice Department prosecuted a female for creating a fake profile on MySpace. Last year, a computerized program that bought tickets on TicketMaster led to criminal charges for an individual. Many of these laws preventing unauthorized access could be used in civil cases as well as criminal. Following the terms of service on any site you choose to use is always important. It is a very good idea to read and understand service terms so you can understand the rights and responsibilities you've so you know whether or not it is okay to lie.




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