Arizona bill could criminalize Internet trolling

[The Mike]

Arizona House Bill 2549 has already passed both of the state's legislative bodies and is currently sitting on the desk of Governor Jan Brewer. While there's a lot in there that doesn't concern trolling, here's the line that has people worried:

It is unlawful for any person, with intent to terrify, intimidate, threaten, harass, annoy or offend, to use ANY ELECTRONIC OR DIGITAL DEVICE and use any obscene, lewd or profane language or suggest any lewd or lascivious act, or threaten to inflict physical harm to the person or property of any person.

Violators could be charged with a Class 1 misdemeanor and face up to 6 months in jail. If electronic devices are used to stalk someone, the charges then become a Class 3 felony, with penalties ranging from a minimum sentence of two and a half years in jail for non-dangerous offenders with no prior record to 25 years.

Full link here: https://games.yahoo.com/blogs/plugg...-criminalize-internet-trolling-184547052.html

 

[EVILFACE]

The baby whinebags on this board would send people to jail for years.

 

[DinoDB1975]

If passed, this plus Arizona's Stand Your Ground law make for an awesome combination.

"But he threatened me on the Freaks board. It was self-defense".

 

[Sweet Rabbit]

wtf?

 

[Darth Snoopy]

Try explaining this offense to your new cell mate!

"I'm here for sodomy and murder, what are you in for?"

"Cyberbullying"

 

[Mr. Green]

Add strip search, for minor offense, in jail, in New Jersey. Allowable by the Supreme court now, I believe I've heard.

I don't know. It seems there's more craps now a days.

 

[KitFisto]

People can laugh at this and there is a good chance this will be vetoed, but this is the direction this country and world will continue to go. Everything will be "hate speech" and punishable eventually. Liberals will blame conservatives and conservatives will blame liberals, but both continue to pull the wool over the eyes of most.

Tell me I wear a tinfoil hat if you like, but look at the fact that something like this even made it at all to a Governor's desk to be signed.

 

[VASith]

Maybe I'm in the minority here but this might help protect elected officials. If someone posts on a forum, let's all go and shoot and kill so and so, that should be illegal. Should be even worse if someone posts that they want to murder or rape an elected officials kid. I'm all for free speech but when you threaten to rape or kill someone that might cross a line.

 

[VASith]

People can laugh at this and there is a good chance this will be vetoed, but this is the direction this country and world will continue to go. Everything will be "hate speech" and punishable eventually. Liberals will blame conservatives and conservatives will blame liberals, but both continue to pull the wool over the eyes of most.

Tell me I wear a tinfoil hat if you like, but look at the fact that something like this even made it at all to a Governor's desk to be signed.

There's a difference between hate speech and threating to shoot someone in the head. If the VA tech shooter had posted something threating before his rampage would we be defending him or we be wondering why people didn't react to his posts?

 

[firefly2121]

Only in Arizona...simply crazy. I guess its the heat down there.

 

[KitFisto]

Maybe I'm in the minority here but this might help protect elected officials. If someone posts on a forum, let's all go and shoot and kill so and so, that should be illegal. Should be even worse if someone posts that they want to murder or rape an elected officials kid. I'm all for free speech but when you threaten to rape or kill someone that might cross a line.

To my knowledge making that kind of threat is already illegal. If it's not then you can make actual REAL threats illegal without making "annoying someone" illegal.

 

[KitFisto]

There's a difference between hate speech and threating to shoot someone in the head. If the VA tech shooter had posted something threating before his rampage would we be defending him or we be wondering why people didn't react to his posts?

Did you read the OP? You do understand that you can make REAL threats illegal without making "annoying someone" illegal right?

 

[VASith]

To my knowledge making that kind of threat is already illegal. If it's not then you can make actual REAL threats illegal without making "annoying someone" illegal.

Before this ill itsnot illegal if it's made digitally..hence this bill. It's illegal in print, and voice but unless you are the president, it's Ok to threaten to kills whoever you want on the Internet. This bill's sole purpose is to make it easier to prosecute those people who support that baptist church that wants to kill all soldiers and anyone who supports gay rights. Can't think of the name now...but Shirley roper is the spokesperson.

 

[VASith]

Did you read the OP? You do understand that you can make REAL threats illegal without making "annoying someone" illegal right?

Yes but they add digital devices to it.

 

[Darth Cruel]

I don't read anything in that statement that pertains to simple trolling.

But to clarify...I do find this to be an excessive and unnecessary law.


I hate new laws.

 

[Mr. Green]

Soon they can arrest people for speaking their minds. And cases like Martin Trev are the norm.

 

[VASith]

So if you have a daughter in middle school, and some pedophile tracks her digitally this law makes that illegal. How is that bad? Maybe I'm missing something here. This bill was introduced as a result of the shooting of rep giffords who was shot last year by some idiot. If you go online, threaten the life of someone, you are going to be charged. Maybe it's the future parent in me, or having a friend die in the va tech shooting, but anything that helps protect people is positive.

 

[pixletwin]

There was once a fine fellow here who PM'd me that if we ever met he was going to chew my genitals into straw. Not sure what that even meant. Was it a threat?

 

[FLOSI]

There was once a fine fellow here who PM'd me that if we ever met he was going to chew my genitals into straw. Not sure what that even meant. Was it a threat?

I would never chew your genitals into straw, Marc... Never.

 

[KitFisto]

So if you have a daughter in middle school, and some pedophile tracks her digitally this law makes that illegal. How is that bad? Maybe I'm missing something here. This bill was introduced as a result of the shooting of rep giffords who was shot last year by some idiot. If you go online, threaten the life of someone, you are going to be charged. Maybe it's the future parent in me, or having a friend die in the va tech shooting, but anything that helps protect people is positive.

Yes, you're missing something. You're missing that you are going to and ONLY to the extreme end of the bill and totally ignoring the fact that even "annoying someone" could become illegal. You're seriously in favor of that?