Did you know that it is illegal to go to online forums and slander or harass someone using a fake name? So often we see upset folks seek ex-girlfriend revenge on the Internet and post annoying or harassing posts using an alias or pen name. This is now illegal and it is a Federal Crime. Have you been slandered, belittled or annoyed by an anonymous Internet poster? You are not alone over 80% of those who post in online forums have been victims of this.

Such information, which is posted Anonymously, by a competitor or social enemy who is using a false identity can now be charged for this and be sentenced for up to two years in prison, as it is now against the law. If you have been slandered and wish to get such things off the Internet you may wish to go ahead and contact the person monitoring the forum of the website in question and tell them of this issue and ask them to remove these threads and posts. Especially if such threads contain false and misleading information, as well as slander if they are posted by a non-entity or a non-traceable pen name.

You may also wish to read more on this new law and what it means to the future of the Internet and anonymity.

http://dba-oracle.com/oracle_news/2006_01_10_annoying_anonymous_felons.htm

http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2006/01/cyberstalking.html

http://news.com.com/Create+an+e-annoyance,+go+to+jail/2010-1028_3-6022491.html

http://www.corante.com/mooreslore/archives/2006/01/09/congress_passes_blatantly_unconstitutional_law_against_internet_speech.php

http://www.epic.org/privacy/anonymity/

http://www.studyworld.com/newsite/ReportEssay/Science/Social%5CCensorship_And_The_Internet-403676.htm

http://www.dvorak.org/blog/?p=3836

http://penangtalk.com/netlaws/netlaws.html

http://www.angelfire.com/ca2/defamation/introduction.html

http://dsv.su.se/jpalme/society/anonymity.html

You will find these links fascinating indeed, as it is interesting the evolution of the Internet and how this effect our civilization and our world. So be thinking on this in 2006.

"Lance Winslow" - Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; http://www.WorldThinkTank.net/. Lance is a guest writer for Our Spokane Magazine in Spokane, Washington