Lying on the internet could soon be a Federal Felony. Use the wrong name, age, location on Facebook could get you on the hook for breaking 25-year-old Computer Fraud & Abuse laws. Congress wants to increase the punishments without narrowing the outdated law. The current law is so broad that you could be arrested for using someone's coffeemaker without permission.
Under its ambiguous wording, it could also soon be a felony to check your Facebook (or INGO) while you are at work.
Should Faking a Name on Facebook Be a Felony?
Under its ambiguous wording, it could also soon be a felony to check your Facebook (or INGO) while you are at work.
Should Faking a Name on Facebook Be a Felony?
Imagine that President Obama could order the arrest of anyone who broke a promise on the Internet. So you could be jailed for lying about your age or weight on an Internet dating site. Or you could be sent to federal prison if your boss told you to work but you used the company's computer to check sports scores online. Imagine that Eric Holder's Justice Department urged Congress to raise penalties for violations, making them felonies allowing three years in jail for each broken promise. Fanciful, right? Think again. Congress is now poised to grant the Obama administration's wishes in the name of "cybersecurity."
Remarkably, the law doesn't even require devices to be connected to the Internet. Since 2008, it applies to pretty much everything with a microchip. So if you're visiting a friend and you use his coffeemaker without permission, watch out: You may have committed a federal crime.