Convictions against Lori Drew overturned today; case dismissed post thumbnail

Convictions against Lori Drew overturned today; case dismissed

The case against Lori Drew has been dismissed in federal court today, as the judge seemingly thought it would be wrong to criminalize certain Terms of Service violations of MySpace and other social networking web sites since users often misrepresent themselves online. (Bottom line when it comes to this ruling is that the law used […]

Lori Drew to be sentenced in Megan Meier cyberbullying case post thumbnail

Lori Drew to be sentenced in Megan Meier cyberbullying case

We are all waiting with baited breath to learn of the sentencing decision to be handed down this week against Lori Drew.  In part because of the incredible amount of controversy surrounding this case, I believe the sentence will be minor and not amount to more than a proverbial slap on the wrist.  Already we […]

Cyberbullying Education and Regulation post thumbnail

Cyberbullying Education and Regulation

Our colleague Adam Thierer from the Progress & Freedom Foundation has recently published an informative white paper worth reading entitled “Cyberbullying Legislation: Why Education is Preferable to Regulation.” Justin and I keep having to point out in various conversations that strictly punitive strategies fall short in their effort to deter misbehavior, especially among a youthful […]

Public Radio Discussion on Proposed Cyberbullying Legislation

I was a guest on the New Hampshire Public Radio show “Word of Mouth” with Virginia Prescott this morning where I talked about the proposed Megan Meier Cyberbullying Prevention Act.  You can listen to the brief interview here.  They were gracious enough to send me some potential questions a couple of hours before the interview […]

Cyberbullying Legislation post thumbnail

Cyberbullying Legislation

There has been a lot of discussion lately concerning proposed or recently passed state and federal legislation designed to address cyberbullying.  One particular bill, proposed by California Congresswoman Linda T. Sanchez and called the “Megan Meier Cyberbullying Prevention Act,” was re-introduced in the House of Representatives last month (the proposal was initially introduced in May […]

Cell Phones in the Classroom post thumbnail

Cell Phones in the Classroom

We have been discussing the issue of cell phones in classrooms a lot lately.  Most schools have a clear policy prohibiting the use of cell phones in classrooms and standard practice seems to be “if I see it, you lose it.”  Some policies specify that the phones will be confiscated for the day, others say […]

Megan Meier Federal Cyberbullying Case Decided Today post thumbnail

Megan Meier Federal Cyberbullying Case Decided Today

Well, as you’ve probably heard by now, the federal jury in California found Lori Drew guilty of computer fraud (and violating the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act) but not guilty of felony charges of unauthorized computer access to inflict emotional distress on Megan Meier.  She faces up to one year in prison and up to […]

Megan Meier Cyberbullying Case In Court Today post thumbnail

Megan Meier Cyberbullying Case In Court Today

So, today is a big day in that the Megan Meier cyberbullying case is going to trial.  Lori Drew, the neighbor who is accused of creating and using a fake MySpace page to befriend and then break the heart of Megan by posing as a boy who had romantic interest in her.  You know the […]

A Call for Legal Clarity post thumbnail

A Call for Legal Clarity

There is an interesting article in this week’s Chronicle of Higher Education in which legal expert Robert M. O’Neil discusses many of the legal challenges facing those who wish to “stand up to cyberbullies.” In the article, O’Neil presents just some of the issues confronting the legal community in responding to cyberbullies. The questions are […]