Lying On-Line Could Become Criminal Act
MIAMI (CBSMiami.com) – People who have used online dating sites such as eHarmony.com and Match.com have probably run into at least one person who is nothing like what their profiles claim.
But is lying about your weight, or height, enough to make you a criminal? According to the U.S. Department of Justice, it just might.
According to CNET, the issue came to light after the Justice Department used the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act to prosecute a woman who set up a fake MySpace account to verbally attack a 13-year-old girl who later committed suicide.
The Justice Department used a portion of the law that makes it a crime for anyone to exceed authorized access, meaning that a website like Match.com sets its access rules and if you violate them, you are a not just violating the terms of the website, but also are criminally responsible.
According to CNET, the Justice Department and the White House want to expand the reach of the CFAA to include even more conduct.
A former general counsel at the National Security Agency told CNET that the new proposals could make uploading copyrighted videos to YouTube just twice could become a pattern of racketeering.
- Click here to read more on the issue from CNET.
