Cops to the trolls...........BEWARE!!!!!!

ABikerSailor

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Aug 26, 2008
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On Sunday, when addressing the media on the Sandy Hook massacre, Lt. Paul Vance of the Connecticut State Police warned that anyone posting "misinformation" on the case was committing a crime, and would be investigated "statewide and federally, and prosecution will take place." While it's easy to understand his anger and frustration, any legal action against Internet trolls is unlikely to hold up under the U.S. Constitution, experts say.

When asked the specifics of this misinformation, Lt. Vance said, "I’m not a social media expert," but cited everything from erroneous assumptions to information "deemed as threatening," homing in on what seems to be the most egregious, fake accounts and "quotes by people who are posing as the shooter."

True enough, a survey of the social media landscape revealed profiles in the guise of the shooter law enforcement knew to be dead. Even before the full story surrounding Friday's horrific shooting in Newtown, Conn., reached the public, Internet lowlifes had inserted themselves into the narrative.

On Facebook, at least a dozen fan pages appeared — first using the name of the alleged shooter’s brother, initially misidentified by officials, and following the clarification, under the deceased shooter's name, "Adam Lanza."

FULL COVERAGE: Tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary

On Twitter, similar accounts appeared using variations of Lanza’s name, at least one posting offensive tweets about the shooting, baiting a shocked and grieving public to respond. The appearance of these faux accounts following any national tragedy is inarguably offensive, and unfortunately all too common. While they certainly violate both Facebook and Twitter's Terms of Service, they'd be unlikely to draw a conviction under either state or federal law.

To be clear, threats — even those made in jest — to mimic a violent crime making national news, will very likely get you arrested, as several careless Facebook users learned over the weekend. Any resulting charges may not stick, but it certainly will make your life miserable for a while.


Outrageous, and even false speech may very well be protected in the United States by the First Amendment, notes Jeff Hermes, director of the Digital Media Law Project, Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University. What matters is whether that speech is part of legitimate public discussion.

"Clearly the circumstances in Connecticut are matter of grave public concern right now," Hermes told NBC News. "We have to be careful that commentary, discussion and reaction can take many different forms, not only news coverage and public discussion."

Cops to trolls: Sharing misinformation about school shooting is a crime - Technology on NBCNews.com

And, considering the amount of emotion on this subject, I personally believe that ANYONE who is trying to get some kind of notoriety from tragedies like this should be locked up.
 
Well he has to try to feel relevant about something. Most of the time the best cops can do is enact revenge. They prevent very little.
 
So.............spewing bullshit, hatred and hoping to get your name in the news is good?

Yeah.................I support free speech, but only if it's true.
 

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