Amicus brief in Megan Meier suicide case
p2pnet news view | P2P:- Megan Meier was 13 when she killed herself after being bullied online by a fake MySpace user.
Lori Drew, 49, was indicted for allegedly pretending to be Josh Evans in a hoax which led to Megan’s suicide.
Drew was ultimately charged with violating the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA) but, say the Cyberlaw Clinic, Berkman Center for Internet and Society, Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) and Harvard law School in an amicus brief, laying criminal charges, “for a terms of service violation” is a, “dramatic misapplication of the CFAA with far-ranging consequences for American computer users”.
The CFAA is aimed at penalizing computer trespassers, “but under the government’s theory, the millions of people who disregard – or don’t read – the terms of service on every website they visit could face computer crime charges,” says EFF civil liberties director Jennifer Granick.
“That’s a big blank check to give federal prosecutors.”
A, “dangerously overbroad construction of the CFAA would criminalize the everyday conduct of millions of internet users,” says the brief.
Megan’s mother, Tina Meier, pictured on the right with her husband, Ron, shortly after the tragedy occurred, started a foundation to educate and encourage positive changes to prevent bullying and cyberbullying, says AP, adding:quit her job as a real estate agent to dedicate herself to the Megan Meier Foundation.
“Megan is still my daughter, no matter what, and I am going out there and fighting for her still because she is still my daughter,” the Associated Press quotes her as saying.
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killed herself – ‘Megan Meier’s law’ passed, November 27, 2008
EFF – MySpace Criminal Charges Risk Dangerous Ramifications for Consumers, August 4, 2008
prevent bullying and cyberbullying – Megan Meier’s mother starts foundation, May 30, 3007
Associated Press – Mom in Web bullying case turns grief into activism, May 30, 2008
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