Online Impersonation (H 7845A, S 2624B)

Yet another problematic part of the Attorney General’s package of computer crimes legislation made it a crime to use “the name or persona of another person” to create a web page, send an e-mail or otherwise post on the internet without the person’s consent, including the name of elected officials.

Yet another problematic part of the Attorney General’s package of computer crimes legislation made it a crime to use “the name or persona of another person” to create a web page, send an e-mail or otherwise post on the internet without the person’s consent, including the name of elected officials. The ACLU testified that the legislation could easily criminalize a variety of protected free speech, including satirical political websites and emails attacking a lawmaker’s past dealings. Despite the legislation’s clear First Amendment issues, the House and Senate approved the legislation in June.