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Arizona Attempts To Make Trolling Illegal

Posted by Unknown on from the entire-slashdot-readerbase-sent-to-gitmo dept.

LordofEntropy writes "Though unlikely to pass any First Amendment test. Arizona's Gov. Jan Brewer has a bill on her desk that would in essence make 'trolling' illegal. The law states 'It is unlawful for any person, with intent to terrify, intimidate, threaten, harass, annoy or offend, to use any electronic or digital device and use any obscene, lewd or profane language or suggest any lewd or lascivious act, or threaten to inflict physical harm to the person or property of any person.'" This did indeed manage to pass through both houses of legislature and only needs a signature to become law.

18 of 474 comments (clear)

  1. First Illegal Troll by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Jail this!

    1. Re:First Illegal Troll by durrr · · Score: 5, Funny

      Jail Arizona's Gov. Jan Brewer for trolling if this law passes. It certainly offends and annoy me.

  2. Woo! First! Suck on that! by Kincaidia · · Score: 5, Funny

    [ this comment has been removed by the State of Arizona ]

  3. Breaking news by bonch · · Score: 5, Funny

    BREAKING--Trolls Left Homeless After Website Ruled Illegal

    Tech site Slashdot was ruled illegal today, leaving hundreds of trolls without a home. Slashdot, founded in the late 90s by master troll Rob Malda, has provided shelter for countless trolls over the years.

    "It leaves me feeling naked. And petrified," said Slashdot user PortmanHotGrits. "Slashdot was once a thriving troll community due to its rigid ideology, biased editors, and broken moderation system."

    "Where am I going to hate Apple now?" asked one anonymous user. "I hate Reddit, and my real life friends bought Macs years ago. Slashdot was the last place my puppet accounts could go to vent their frustration at iSheep Crapple fans. Android4Lyfe! Hang on, my custom ROM just crashed."

    Reaction in other internet communities was mixed.

    "Slashdot is still around?" asked several Twitter users. Said one IT administrator: "Whoa, Slashdot? I used to post there when I ran Linux on my desktop back in 2001. I used to write 'Micro$oft' non-ironically. I was an embarrassing idiot. Farewell, Slashdot."

    Rob Malda, who ran screaming from Slashdot earlier in the year with half his body engulfed in flames, could not be reached for comment.

  4. Arizona by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    I'm glad I moved to Texas.

  5. Even worse by bobbutts · · Score: 5, Insightful

    It's not just trolling "annoy or offend" could literally be applied to every word ever written.

    1. Re:Even worse by TFAFalcon · · Score: 5, Interesting

      But the law seems to imply that annoying is fine, as long as you don't 'use any obscene, lewd or profane language or suggest any lewd or lascivious act, or threaten to inflict physical harm to the person or property of any person.'

      So it's not so much a law against trolling, as it is against impolite trolling.

      If that is the case then I fully support it. It's so much more satisfying to drive a person crazy while being completely polite.

  6. well.... by oh_my_080980980 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    They also outlawed teaching Mexican American studies in public schools, so no I don't find this surprising.

    1. Re:well.... by Brentyl · · Score: 5, Informative

      Not to be pedantic: The State of Arizona had little to do with one school district canceling Mexican-American studies. That was a course taught at a few schools in Tucson, and the school district shut it down. There are reasonable arguments both ways on that call.

      There was some pressure from the state Dept of Ed, but it was truly a local decision.

      That said, as a long-time resident and observer, general knuckleheadedness runs both deep and wide in our fair state. If Brewer signs this bill, I can't imagine it withstanding any appeal. This is basic First Amendment stuff.

  7. Fox News by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    How's that going to work for Fox News?

  8. Trolling by DaneM · · Score: 5, Funny

    So...if you make inflammatory comments against fraudsters, does that mean you're...(wait for it)

    Trolling for phishers? Would that now be considered poaching?

  9. Hm... by JustAnotherIdiot · · Score: 5, Interesting

    'It is unlawful for any person, with intent to terrify, intimidate, threaten, harass, annoy or offend, to use any electronic or digital device and use any obscene, lewd or profane language or suggest any lewd or lascivious act, or threaten to inflict physical harm to the person or property of any person.

    So, technically, couldn't it be viewed that this law is breaking itself?

    --
    What do I know, I'm just an idiot, right?
    1. Re:Hm... by berashith · · Score: 5, Interesting

      I once tried this on an HR droid. I was being forced through orientation of a large company as my smaller company had been purchased. The new policy was that all instances of harrasment and intimidation would be investigated, and that there was no standard of expected behavior. Any behavior that offended someone was based on teh one being offended, and therefore anything could be reported to HR, and therefore anyone could be investigated, for ANYTHING that someone chose to be offended by. I immediately stated that I was offended by such a policy, and that I would like to report HR to HR to open an investigation. The poor guy about popped. After attempting to just ignore me , thinking I was just being an ass, I did explain that I felt that the open ended policy was a threat to me, and that I was intimidated in my workplace as I was never certain what was an appropriate way to act or interact with my coworkers. They decided to take the verbiage to legal, and I quit soon afterwards as management that is this clueless will never change.

  10. I guess... by Genda · · Score: 5, Funny

    In a related story, Today the Arizona state legislature made Gays, Democrats, Liberals, Mexicans, Muslims, gay mixed drinks with fruit and umbrellas, small dogs, men's skin care products, evolution, gun control advocates, subcompact foreign cars, lite beer, pansies, petunias and 6 other flowers that begin with the letter 'P' illegal. When asked, leaders of the legislature said "Yeah, we know its unconstitutional, but tomorrow we're making the Constitution illegal."

  11. Remove annoy or offend and it's ok by Jason+Levine · · Score: 5, Insightful

    This is probably going to go against popular opinion, but having read the bill, it looks ok with one exception: "annoy or offend". Remove those two (ok, three counting "or") words and what you have is a bill that says "It's illegal to threaten someone via the telephone so it should be illegal to do so online as well." Remember, freedom of speech isn't freedom to threaten someone with bodily harm or to stalk someone.

    With "annoy/offend" intact, though, the law could be read in much too broad of a manner and could easily infringe on someone's free speech rights.

    --
    My sci-fi novel, Ghost Thief, is now available from Amazon.com.
  12. Re:Remember: by gstoddart · · Score: 5, Insightful

    You have the right to not be offended. Right?

    I know you're joking, but I have no idea where people came up with the notion they have some inalienable right to not be offended. Less so just because it's on the internet.

    I'm offended every time I listen to a politician speaking. I'm offended when some executive gets millions in bonuses for a money-losing quarter. I'm offended when some idiot says the world is only 6000 years old.

    Freedom of speech means you don't have to like what I say, and I don't have to like what you say. But neither of us can prevent the other from saying it.

    However, I know there are some groups who really do believe that I should in no way be able to say something that offends them.

    --
    Lost at C:>. Found at C.
  13. Re:Remember: by gstoddart · · Score: 5, Informative

    Another interesting story from the same site: "TSA Screener Throws Hot Coffee In Face Of Pilot Who Asked Her To Stop Cursing" :-o Wow.

    Holy crap, you're not kidding.

    Mr Trivett then attempted to get a closer look at the screener's ID tags, presumably in order to report the incident. The screener, 30 year old Lateisha El, then reportedly shoved the pilot and hurled a full cup of hot coffee at his face.

    Police said that Mr Trivett thankfully walked away without being seriously hurt. El, from East New York in Brooklyn, was arrested and charged with harassment and misdemeanor-assault.

    I'm sorry, but if someone in uniform who has the authority to arrest and detain you does that, that should be a lot more than a misdemeanor. Because if I threw a cup of coffee into a TSA screener's face, I'd be sure as hell facing an entirely different set of charges. In fact, it would likely be a Federal offense.

    --
    Lost at C:>. Found at C.
  14. Breaking news: Bill being withdrawn by roc97007 · · Score: 5, Informative

    If I could interrupt what passes for discussion in Slashdot,

    I heard this on the radio on the way into work this morning: That due to public outcry, the bill's authors realize they screwed the pooch on this one (deliberately being offensive...) and have quietly asked the governor not to sign it.

    There may be another bill later, but it may be slightly less insane.

    We now return you to your regularly scheduled panic.

    --
    Oliver's law of assumed responsibility: If you're seen fixing it, you will be blamed for breaking it.