Internet Trolls Face Jail in Arizona

[Andy Chalk]

The idea that this law is going to be problematic is just our own reflex whenever we hear someone mention "internet" and "law." The problems we're predicting don't happen with analogous media in real life, so there's no reason to assume they're going to happen here. Will someone try it? Surely. And when it fails, we'll have clear legal precedent established, just like for our other laws.

The trouble is that if it doesn't fail, we have a problem, and given the tendency these days to interpret laws to fit particular contingencies - declaring that waterboarding isn't torture, for instance - I don't like the idea of leaving it to chance or to the discretion of our law enforcement agencies. These are the people who made a disabled four-year-old child remove his leg braces for an airport search, let us recall. With that sort of person "watching out for us," I'm not inclined to take anything for granted.

 

[Andy Chalk]

maybe the folks who enforce the laws aren't the complete morons Andy seems to be suggesting they are, and maybe this will just be used to go after the real a-holes.

Right. Like this guy!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Arpaio

The vast majority of law enforcement officials are intelligent, reasonable individuals who do their utmost to serve the public to the best of their ability. But it only takes one to make a mess of somebody's life.

Like that guy.

 

[Tsun Tzu]

Arizona has kind of gone off the rails in recent years. Quite glad I'm not a resident.

 

[proctorninja2]

what the hell, why god damn it yet another law with its heart in the right place but not the right meaning.

 

[CrazyCapnMorgan]

As I said in a previous thread about this issue:

Arizona...

A place where they love people so much...

One Bishop Thomas J. Olmstead fired one sister Margaret McBride from St. Joseph's Hospital and excommunicated her from her church for suggesting abortion to save an 11 week pregnant woman, who was a mother of 4 at the time, suffering from Pulmonary Hypertension. This malady, Sister McBride and others believed would kill the mother and, in turn, kill her child. The Bishop later stated that, "An unborn child is not a disease...the end does not justify the means".

and...

Where the governor of the state worries more about supposed dead people in the desert than the live people thrown out of medical care and left to die because of the neccesity to balance their stupid, fucking budget.

Arizona: Proving there's more batshit in a desert than a cave.

 

[CleverCover]

So, Arizona is trying to beat out Texas for state with the dumbest laws or practices? Damn, they're on their way, the crafty morons.

So glad I don't live there. To anyone who is, how have you survived after the constant facepalming?

In other news, I have to go and send something insulting and possibly offensive to some random person in Arizona....just to see if this holds up. Did they vote on this bill yet? Did it pass?

 

[Ewyx]

So... we're sure we want to keep Arizona?

Actually, I like a little bit of the bill, specifically these parts:
... with intent to terrify, intimidate, threaten, harass ... suggest any lewd or lascivious act ... threaten to inflict physical harm to the person or property of any person.

would be illegal and punishable.

So under this law the phrase "tits or gtfo" is illegal. Damn, there goes my main pickup line.

 

[2fish]

I feel sorry for you Arizon..ians or whatever you're called. While i'm not to big a fan of trolling of being trolled, it's part of the interwebz. You can't take it away

I am from Arizona and you annoy me your information has been sent to my government.


I expect nothing less from my government, thus why I intend to move out as soon as I can.

How fast do you think that fundamentalists will abuse this? Safe money is on "immediately", I would imagine. *sigh*

I am no fundaMENTAList but I live around enough of them I would say damn fast. Until then I have a new fun tool to use on stupid trolls in multiplayer!

"Are you aware your actions are violating the law under HB 2549?" It will be fun.

 

[NinjaDeathSlap]

I have only one thing to say about being offended:

Damn Ninja'd!

I have to say though, i may be for comedic purposes, but this here is probably the most sensible thing anyone has ever said on this entire subject. Sure, it's not nice when someone's being a dick to you, but how on Earth are you supposed to attach any kind of legal significance to such a subjective emotion?

Steve Hughes is a legend.

 

[Abedeus]

It doesn't sound too terribly unreasonable at first glance

You shitting me? "We arrest people for offending someone over the internet" is not too unreasonable?

Sure glad I'm not living in Arizona.

I think it's the "harass, threaten and terrify" part that is illegal. With that I agree.

But unless it's annoyance like calling someone 20 times a day forcing him to turn off mobile or abusing the door bell like a moron, it won't be punished.

Being offended should not give you any ability to take up legal recourse. If I've heard of anything that more of a waste of the court time, I can't remember it. Oh wait, it came one sentence later when they suggested that swearing or being lascivious on the booping internet was a criminal offence.

Clearly the state of Arizona are two days behind, so bravo, very wry.

If they are being serious, that's adorable. I do hope they thoroughly enjoy trying to enforce this.

Did any of you actually read the entire post? It's also to prevent some retarded 25-year old from threatening a 7-year old to come down to hit house while his parents are gone to kill his pet and rape his sister.

If you don't think this should be punishable, I don't know what is.

 

[Random Fella]

I would like to see how this is enforced
But this looks more like it's against individuals who harass the same person all of the time, a bully for instance
All in all it sounds pretty ridiculous to me

 

[Sylveria]

It doesn't sound too terribly unreasonable at first glance

You shitting me? "We arrest people for offending someone over the internet" is not too unreasonable?

Sure glad I'm not living in Arizona.

A Red state that is making a law against offending or harassing people? Why do I get the feeling that this law won't be evenly applied. Bash on gays all day long? No problem. Say that Christianity isn't 100% correct? Off to jail with you.

 

[Sylveria]

I would like to see how this is enforced
But this looks more like it's against individuals who harass the same person all of the time, a bully for instance
All in all it sounds pretty ridiculous to me

Where do you see that in the language of the bill? Nowhere. In fact, with the language of the bill, the very act of me questioning your interpretation of the bill could be a crime if you consider it harassment.

 

[Treblaine]

The irony is this law is likely to lead to legal trolling.

Any Arizona resident could willingly connect to 4chan knowing full well the nature of the content then promptly call the cops saying they have been harassed. This is like ordering porn in the mail and then calling the cops objecting that someone sent you lewd pictures in the mail... even though you ordered them.

This law doesn't distinguish between trolls defacing a memorial page on Facebook and people willingly entering troll-central or a porn website where everyone enters knowing what they are in for.

Or at least, that's the way the OP has presented this.

 

[Random Fella]

I would like to see how this is enforced
But this looks more like it's against individuals who harass the same person all of the time, a bully for instance
All in all it sounds pretty ridiculous to me

Where do you see that in the language of the bill? Nowhere. In fact, with the language of the bill, the very act of me questioning your interpretation of the bill could be a crime if you consider it harassment.

Indeed, but I'm saying that's how it will probably be enforced
There's no way they're going to fine someone for making one rude comment
and if they did then it would be very pedantic
I'm just saying it will probably be used more to prevent bullying, mostly cyber by the looks of it.

 

[Xan Krieger]

So if I tell the Arizona politicians behind this law to go fuck themselves I can be put on trial in Arizona even though I live in North Carolina? Seems like they're really overstepping their boundries here.

 

[Nurb]

So republican anti-nanny-staters who cringe at laws like this in the EU, are making a nanny-state law in their own state

 

[samsonguy920]

There is nothing reasonable about this. This is more a case of people learning to grow thicker skin and learn to ignore foul-mouthed people online. If you can't take the heat, get out of the room. You would do it in person. No game or social site is that important to require you to actually stay and take any sort of verbal abuse.
This idea is a really bad one, as it sets a precedent that people should just report anyone who offends them in any sort of way. It does nothing to help the person handle the real world where you aren't going to get everyone to like you, and there will be those who will call you offensive names just for any reason. Are we to start reporting those people as well? Last time I checked, we still have freedom of speech, and I do believe this law as it is worded crosses that line clearly.
Let it pass. It will get destroyed in the Supreme Court before you can say Frack You.

This bill is insanely stupi-*is arrested*

How fast do you think that fundamentalists will abuse this? Safe money is on "immediately", I would imagine. *sigh*

EDIT: My solution to the whole problem is to have a VERY visible "block" button on EVERY social media site and email service, and make it VERY clear and obvious how to block off anyone who you don't wanna talk to. Because I dunno if kids will think about doing that, or know how to do it. If blocking and stuff is made way more obvious, then it'll make cyber bullying much harder to do.

Exactly. Why should it be so difficult to just mute someone online? We can do it over the phone or TV, so why not online, anymore? Are we really sinking so low in our need to be online that we have to be liked by Everyone? In this quest do we have to get people fined if they don't like you? No. This is just one more reason why sites like Facebook are really a bad idea and should be encouraged to ration yourself on at the least. When someone's life you never met in person is more important than those you are around and have grown up with, then it is time to cut the cord.