ReputationDefender Blog (Free subscription) | 11/24/2009
It would appear that the sad story of Megan Meier has finally come to an end. In July, we reported that a Federal judge had decided to reverse a jury’s decision and dismiss three charges of misdemeanor computer fraud against Lori Drew. Last Friday, Federal prosecutors decided not to appeal this decision, effectively ending the [...]
Techdirt (Free subscription) | 11/23/2009
While there was some concern that prosecutors would push forward with an appeal of a judge's decision to toss out the ridiculous ruling against Lori Drew, federal prosecutors have now said that they're dropping the case and will not pursue it further. Drew may still face a civil lawsuit, but it's a good thing that the government is out of this. No matter what you think of Drew's behavior in dealing...
The Technology Liberation Front (Free subscription) | 11/22/2009
Bob Barr, the four term Republican Georgia congressman turned ACLU activist and 2008 Libertarian Presidential candidate, has denounced Rep. Linda Sánchez’s (D-CA) “Megan Meier Cyber Bullying Prevention Act” (H.R. 1966) in particularly harsh terms: This legislation represents an exercise in overcriminalization and poor draftsmanship not often seen, even in the Congress. A term...
The Dreamin' Demon (Free subscription) | 11/12/2009
Honolulu, Hawaii – Residents of a Makiki apartment building heard the screams of a woman early Monday morning. “We heard her scream, a woman’s voice,” said apartment resident Clarita Antonio. “When my great-grandson said what’s that somebody fall down.” Upon investigating, they found the body of a 10-year-old girl laying broken in a [...] Related posts: Empire...
The Dreamin' Demon (Free subscription) | 11/05/2009
Sheboygan, WI – Randal Schaal and Kelly Winter weren’t too pleased when they found out their 14-year-old daughter had surreptitiously opened up a Myspace account. Not pleased at all. As a matter of fact, they were so pissed off, they spanked that little whippersnapper real good. According to the arrest report, Kelly found [...] Related posts: MySpace Hoax Leads To Megan Meier Suicide Dennis...
Blogger News Network (Free subscription) | 10/27/2009
Missouri has responded effectively to cyber bullying via web sites and text messaging; has your state? After the Lori Drew case in Missouri, in which a MySpace account was used to bully 13-year old Megan Meier, who committed suicide, Missouri legislators passed laws criminalizing cyber-bullying, harassment and abuse, and schools created zero-tolerance policies. School authorities and [...]
Switched (Free subscription) | 10/16/2009
Filed under: Web Cyber-bullying has become a major issue around the world. Teens across the U.S. and across the pond in Europe find themselves constantly faced with this new form of harassment. But if we had to pick one place as the epicenter of this disturbing new trend it would be Missouri. The home state of Megan Meier , a girl who committed suicide just before her 14th birthday as a result of...
Techdirt (Free subscription) | 10/16/2009
As tends to happen, it appears that Missouri has decided to overcompensate for the mess with the whole Lori Drew/Megan Meier tragedy. After realizing that Lori Drew hadn't committed any actual crime, Missouri passed a new law making it a potential felony for being a jerk online. And, of course, with that new law in place, Missouri prosecutors have wasted little time in filing charges against all sorts...
Electronic Frontier Foundation (Free subscription) | 10/09/2009
In DC, the summer doldrums have ended, and Congress has begun a flurry of activity. Legislators are in the midst of considering several important bills: The Informed P2P User Act is the latest effort from Rep. Mary Bono Mack, who in 1998 gave us the Mickey Mouse Protection Act . The bill is ostensibly aimed at protecting users of peer-to-peer file-sharing software from accidentally sharing their private...
Technology Toolkit (Free subscription) | 10/03/2009
Megan Meier was an emotionally vulnerable 13-year-old schoolgirl when Lori Drew, the mother of one of Megan�s former friends, decided to humiliate her Ultimately, Lori was found guilty of misdemeanor charges for her role in the online hoax that led to Megan�s suicide
Click World News (Free subscription) | 10/01/2009
In the wake of the whole Megan Meier/Lori Drew thing, politicians started shoving each other aside to introduce "anti-cyber bullying legislation" that would outlaw being a jerk . The whole thing was pretty ridiculous. People are going to be jerks. You can't outlaw it. Beyond just the First Amendment issue, the simple fact is some people will act like jerks some of the time. It happens. It...
Reason Magazine - Hit & Run (Free subscription) | 10/01/2009
At a House hearing yesterday, Berin Szoka and Adam Thierer of the Progress and Freedom Foundation laid out the problems with the absurdly broad Megan Meier Cyber Bullying Prevention Act . Under the bill, introduced by Rep. Linda Sanchez (D-Calif.), anyone convicted of "using electronic means to support severe, repeated and hostile behavior...with the intent to coerce, intimidate, harass or cause...
Jezebel (Free subscription) | 10/01/2009
The first federal cyberbullying law, the Megan Meier Cyberbullying Prevention Act, has made it to a House committee. But critics say the law would let prosecutors "harass the harasser," and the law... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]
The Technology Liberation Front (Free subscription) | 10/01/2009
The House Judiciary Committee’s Crime subcommittee yesterday held a hearing yesterday on the painful issues of cyberbullying (webcast). Rep. Linda Sánchez (D-CA) talked about her bill, the “Megan Meier Cyber Bullying Prevention Act” (H.R. 1966), which would create of a new federal felony to punish cyberharassment, including fines and jail time for violators. Rep. Debbie [...]...
Conservative Compendium (Free subscription) | 09/30/2009
The biggest bullies in America, collective referred to as Congress, are tackling the issue of cyber bullying. Their solution? An all out assault on the first amendment via the Megan Meier Cyberbullying Prevention Act: ‘(a) Whoever transmits in interstate or foreign commerce any communication, with the intent to coerce, intimidate, harass, or cause substantial emotional distress [...] Related...
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