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MySpace case could criminalize many routine activities
By
Brad Belote
Story Created:
May 16, 2008 at 4:35 PM CDT
Story Updated:
May 16, 2008 at 4:41 PM CDT
NEW YORK (AP) - Legal experts are warning that there could be
serious consequences for what may seem like routine behavior on the Internet.
And they're pointing to the new charges against a Missouri
woman.
Prosecutors alleged that the woman helped create a MySpace account in the name of someone who didn't exist, thus violating the site's terms of service -- and that she therefore illegally accessed protected computers.
Experts say that interpretation could affect people who create accounts or post information under aliases -- even if it's to avoid spam or to maintain their anonymity online.
The woman was indicted yesterday on charges stemming from a hoax on MySpace. Prosecutors say she helped create a fake MySpace account to convince a 13-year-old girl that she was chatting with a 16-year-old boy. The boy, named Josh Evans, did not exist.
The girl hanged herself in 2006, allegedly after receiving a
dozen or more cruel messages, including one supposedly from the boy that said the world would be better off without her.
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