Can anyone here write anything with any substance that SOMEONE somewhere couldn't decide was annoying? Annoying because it runs against their closely held beliefs? Annoying because you wrote it better than them? Because it's too long? Too short? Too true?
Doubt it. Because "annoying" is such a weak word.
But it is now against Federal Law to be annoying. Well, to be annopying anonymously anyway.
More....
So what this means in this day and age of rampant identity theft is that the anonymity of the internet has been stripped from you. You can walk into any bar and speak your mind without stating your name. You CAN'T do that online anymore. Disclosure is the word of the day.
Annoying someone via the Internet is now a federal crime.
It's no joke. Last Thursday, President Bush signed into law a prohibition on posting annoying Web messages or sending annoying e-mail messages without disclosing your true identity.
In other words, it's OK to flame someone on a mailing list or in a blog as long as you do it under your real name. Thank Congress for small favors, I guess.
This ridiculous prohibition, which would likely imperil much of Usenet, is buried in the so-called Violence Against Women and Department of Justice Reauthorization Act. Criminal penalties include stiff fines and two years in prison.
And it was passed, like most assinine bills, by buring it within the text of another, more importat bit of legislation.
Now then, if this news is annoying to anyone here - well I'm sorry. Feel free to report me to the Feds for processing.
Because I'd give you my name..... if I weren't a Canadian :P