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Trolling Will Soon Be Illegal in Arizona

One of the Internet's basic tenets—the right to be as much of a myopic, infantile asshat as humanly possible—is currently under attack in Arizona. A sweeping update to the state's telecommunications harrasment bill could make naughty, angry words a Class 1 misdemeanor. Or worse.

It's a dangerous precedent, yet another bill written and supported by legislators who fundamentally don't understand the nature of the internet. And I'm not just being a, well, you know.

Arizona House Bill 2549 passed both legislative houses last Thursday and is now awaiting approval from Arizona's governor Brewer. The statute states that:

"It is unlawful for any person, with intent to terrify, intimidate, threaten, harass, annoy or offend, to use a 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."

Emphasis added. If the electronic devices and means are employed to stalk a victim, the penalty bumps up to a Class 3 felony.

For those not intimately familiar with Arizona penal law, a Class 1 misdemeanor is punishable by a $250,000 fine and up to six months in jail (it's the most aggressive misdemeanor charge the state can bring). A Class 3 felony, meanwhile, carries a minimum sentence of 2.5 years for non-dangerous offenders with no prior record. And a max of 25 years in jail.

Opponents of the bill argue that the wording is overly broad and could easily be interpreted to include not just one-on-one communications but public forums like 4Chan, Reddit, and anywhere else that allows commenting. You thought the banhammer was bad? Try handcuffs.

It could also have a chilling effect on free speech by prohibiting shocking or "profane" language online. And since the bill stipulates that the offense only has to occur on Arizona soil (since a Facebook comment is definitely a geographic place, right?) that basically puts the entire Internet on notice.

The bill's supporters argue that the steps are necessary to prevent online bullying. Despite the public outcry, the bill has seen very little resistance from elected officials. However, given how well Arizona's other recent, short-lived, and generally draconian propositions—-including its racial profiling, anti-gay adoption, and anti-immigration bills—-have fared, House Bill 2549 might not be a law for long, assuming Governor Brewer even signs it.

In the mean time, feel free to leave your thoughts on the matter on Brewer's Facebook page. You know, while it's still legal. [Arizona State House of Reps via CBLDF]

Source: http://kotaku.com/5898600/itll-soon-be-illegal-to-troll-in-arizona

People have the right to be as much of an ass online as they are offline.

The wording is so vague that it is asking to be shot down. Also, why should the entire net be on notice? No one is going to get tracked down by Arizona police and then shipped off to Arizona. They have enough problems with drugs and gun running along the border.

Quote:

You thought the banhammer was bad? Try handcuffs.

HAHAHA, ......

HAHAHAHAHA, ......

Silly nets.

"Now that I have found someone
I'm feeling more alone. Than I ever have before." ~ Brick

hellrasinbrasin wrote:

...in Arizona

Why am I not surprised...?

MercuryLemur wrote:

hellrasinbrasin wrote:

...in Arizona

Why am I not surprised...?

Because you are old. Old.as.fuck. Razz

"Now that I have found someone
I'm feeling more alone. Than I ever have before." ~ Brick

So I guess I'll be leaving the Soup sooner than I thought.

Why? are you going to the pookie D?

"Now that I have found someone
I'm feeling more alone. Than I ever have before." ~ Brick

Gumby popped into my head for some reason. Laughing

"Now that I have found someone
I'm feeling more alone. Than I ever have before." ~ Brick

The Internet has changed.

The Man wrote:

The Internet will be forcibly changed by outside forces that possess little knowledge of the internet or social interaction in general.

Fixed.

The word "annoy" is by far the most bullshit thing in that whole ridiculous bill. You know what annoys me? Overly friend people, politically correct people, and people who try to not offend anyone. Can I get you thrown in jail for 25 years for that? What a clusterfuck.

The Arizona State Government tries to get all the trolling out of its system before the ban: http://rt.com/usa/news/arizona-bill-conception-abortion-387/

Breaking News!!!

Arizona Doctors gain the ability to read the future!

No guys, this makes perfect sense. God has a plan for everything bro. They're not even going far enough. They should say pregnancy starts at birth.