Conviction in MySpace Suicide Case Dangerous Ruling

The conviction of a Missouri woman accused of creating a fake MySpace account to harass a girl who later committed suicide represents a gross and inappropriate expansion of federal power to regulate speech and communications over the Internet. Lori Drew was convicted of illegally accessing MySpace computers on the basis of having created false registration data using a law intended to prosecute criminal computer break-ins.  CDT, in court filings, warned that using that law to prosecute Drew had "dangerous ramifications" for Internet users.  If the current ruling stands, it "would convert the millions of Internet-using Americans" into instant criminals for nothing more than entering a convenient nickname for online identification purposes.  CDT believes the conviction should be overturned and further prosecutorial attempts abandoned. December 01, 2008

Amicus Brief in U.S. v. Lori Drew [PDF] August 01, 2008

Policy Beta Blog Post May 15, 2008

FTC Takes Aim at "Stalker Spyware" Company

Acting on a request from the Federal Trade Commission, a U.S. District Court has temporarily halted the sale of "stalker spyware," pending a decision on whether these products engage in unfair and deceptive practices by enabling and encouraging privacy invasion. Keylogger programs are often sold as "stalker spyware" and describe in detail how to spy on others without being detected, according to the FTC complaint. CDT applauds the hard work of the Electronic Privacy Information Center, which first brought a petition to the FTC to stop these deceptive, privacy invasive technologies. November 17, 2008

FTC Notice on Court Action November 17, 2008 [off-site]

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