[Infowarrior] - Violate ToS = breaking the law

[Richard Forno]

Regarding the MySpace 'cyberbullying' news from yesterday:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/11/26/ 
AR2008112600629.html?hpid=topnews

A Missouri woman who posed as a 16-year-old boy on MySpace.com to woo  
and then rebuff a troubled teenage girl who later committed suicide  
was found guilty Wednesday of three misdemeanor charges, but no  
felonies, by a federal jury.

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Prosecutors alleged that Drew and her employee violated MySpace's  
"terms of service," which prohibit using fraudulent registration  
information, obtaining personal information about juvenile members,  
and using the service to harass, abuse or harm others.

< - >

The verdict underscores the complexities of the case. Some legal  
experts and civil liberties groups said a felony conviction would  
mean that millions of people who violate the terms of service of the  
Web sites they visit could become criminally liable. Experts also  
said that if violating such terms is a crime, then the sites that  
write the agreements essentially could function as lawmakers or  
prosecutors.

< - >

.... this can be the thin edge of the wedge and turn out to be a  
veeeeery slippery slope for Netizens, especially given how broad,  
nebulous, and oft-changing (w/o notice) these 'terms' are.  Hopefully  
cooler heads prevail.

Happy Turkey Day

-Rick