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Trolling could get you 25 years in jail


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Some light trolling can be fun on the internet, but Arizona's governors disagree. If you're a troll you could be looking at 25 years in prison if you just so happen to mess around occasionally.

Being anonymous on the internet can have its ups and downs. In the eyes of some people the ups outweigh the downs, since they can get away with saying things they would never say in the real world. Probably the best case in point for that argument is a popular YouTube video. It doesn't matter what video in particular, because there will always be a trolling comment if it has over 1,000,000 views. Consider the amount of trolls who use profane language when they are messing with others via the internet.

Arizona doesn't like this. In fact, as Gizmodo reports, they really don't like this. Some radical, sweeping reforms are in the pipeline for the state's telecommunications harassment bill, and these could actually make trolling a Class 1 misdemeanor: as in, you could be punished with a fine of up to $250,000 and six months in prison. All for one comment. The bill, known as Arizona House Bill 2549, passed legislation last Thursday. A Class 1 misdemeanor is the most aggressive misdemeanor offence the state can consider. All it takes now is the approval of Arizona's governor, Jan Brewer. Here's the excerpt which concerns the internet:

"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."

That's right. If someone makes a "your mom" joke at you when playing on Xbox LIVE, and they happen to be from Arizona, you can completely dictate the flow of their life from then onwards. Oh, and if you happen to stalk a victim, it becomes a Class 3 felony. The minimum time for a Class 3 felony is 2.5 years imprisonment, even if you have nothing else on your record. Maximum? You're looking at 25 years in jail - and a smart lawyer could easily argue joining someone in a game and trolling is enough. The bill is worded just broadly enough to include one-to-one interaction, as well as publicly accessible websites, such as Reddit.

The offence only has to take place on Arizona's soil for it to be a crime in Arizona. Considering a Facebook comment can be accessed globally, they could well decide you're coming for a visit to the state because of a Facebook status speaking about someone else, or using profane language. There's a good chance this law might not go through, but you'd have to be insane to even consider trying to get it signed in the first place. Let us not forget that Arizona is the state which also was considering racial profiling, anti-gay adoption, and bills against immigration. All that's needed to stop the bill is Brewer refusing to sign it.

At the time of writing, you're still legally obliged to leave your thoughts on Governor Brewer's official Facebook page. Just be careful what you say, and how you say it. It's still legal at the moment to swear on a free medium like the internet but if Arizona has it their way, it might not be for much longer.

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Beware fl0ppyd1scours3! :tooth:

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oh now I've read it all....can't help it, but it just had to be posted.

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Makes you wonder if you get time just for posting the trollface :troll:

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So basically, floppyd1scours3's screwed if he's in Arizona, eh? :wtf:

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play my post and shut the fuck up :D

:lmao: :lmao: :lmao:
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keep the trolling somewhere else guys. Please stay on topic.

:lmao: :lmao: :lmao: :lmao: :lmao:
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keep the trolling somewhere else guys. Please stay on topic.

:lmao: :lmao: :lmao: :lmao: :lmao:
+1 :troll: :lol: :lmao: :rofl: :lol: :lmao: :rofl: :lol: :troll:
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@over

trolling is for everyone ...

but the grown ups do the best .

poor kids are too innocent and dont have the messed mishievious up minds like grown ups required to troll .

. :troll:

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Arizona Calls for Anti-Troll Legislation

It seems that Arizona lawmakers have taken time out from targeting unauthorized aliens and have turned their attention on those individuals who troll on the Internet.

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Actually, some experts regard it as trolling a whole state – the matter is that a refresh of the local telecommunications harassment legislation could make the practice of harassing people on the Internet against the law.

It turned out that Arizona House Bill 2549 has already passed both of the Arizona’s legislative bodies and is currently sitting on the desk of Governor Jan Brewer to be signed in the nearest future.

The legislation in question is meant to make it illegal to terrify, intimidate, threaten, harass, annoy or offend others on the Internet, as well as to “use any electronic or digital devices; obscene, lewd or profane language; suggest any lewd or lascivious act; threaten to inflict physical harm to anyone or anyone’s property”.

Finally, online trolling could get the offender 6 months breaking rocks. In case electronic devices were used to stalk any person, the charges then become a felony, where the penalties range from a minimum sentence of 2½ years in prison.

Yahoo confirmed that the thing has been set up to defend the citizens of the state from online bullying. However, as many might expect, the Arizona legislation is at least “overly broad” and uses vague terms like “annoy” or “offend”. Instead of just dealing with online bullying, it could be applied to online forums or comments that miff people.

In respond, free speech groups claim that they can’t believe the legislation would ever stand up in court. Indeed, it’s fairly likely that the Supreme Court would shoot it down as unconstitutional one. In fact, one man’s trollage equals to another’s free speech!

Source: Extratorrent

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