"Arizona law would censor the Internet"

Not sure if this the place to post this, please move to proper forum if so. Things are getting down right silly and it's making me sick!

Arizona House Bill 2549, which is now on Gov. Jan Brewer's desk for signature, was created to counter bullying and stalking. The law would make it a crime to use any electronic or digital device to communicate using "obscene, lewd or profane language" or to suggest a lewd or lascivious act, if done with the intent to "terrify, intimidate, threaten, harass, annoy or offend."

Here is the link. www.technolog.msnbc.msn.com...#

so how many new alphabet agencies will be created to police these laws?

i dont know whether to laugh or cry

What an absolutely ridiculous law. "Yeah lets sterilize how people talk!"

Stupid. That's what profanity filters are for, and they're available on many forums, video games, chats... etc.


And making genuine threats online can already make you liable to prosecution.

Wouldn't this just allow them to prosecute this kind of behavior? Is it really a bad thing to prosecute?

reply to post by AdamsMurmur


I hear ya on that, free speech is something that will be cherished once it is gone, in my eyes. And the kids won't even know what it is in the years to come if things keep going this way. Horrible, just horrible.

I think about the case of the girl here in Missouri who hung herself from online bullying from a Mother posing as a kid and think something needs done. Don't the laws which cover things like stalking pretty well cover bullying at the level which really matter though?

I mean.. "annoy"?? Oh goodness... I'd be doing life in prison from my time here at ATS alone.

Originally posted by Tundra
reply to post by AdamsMurmur

 

I hear ya on that, free speech is something that will be cherished once it is gone, in my eyes. And the kids won't even know what it is in the years to come if things keep going this way. Horrible, just horrible.

That is exactly what this law would do; Take another big chunk out of the freedom of speech. I'm all for attempting to stop bullying, but this is the wrong way to go about it.. They always seem to go about it the wrong way, but then I just assumed the constitution meant something. Silly me..

Harassment is already illegal. They already can prosecute it. That's why I don't believe they are being honest about their true intent behind the bill.

reply to post by Inquisitive1


That's what I thought when i saw the words "obscene, lewd or profane language" and "annoy or offend." Like you, I am not for someone being threatened, harassed, or bullied. This is just bulls***. Whats next? The high-school kids being arrested for saying fart in math class because it offends somebody?