CyberLaw Blog

Archive for the ‘MySpace’ Category

Verdict in MySpace Suicide Case: “A Missouri woman who prosecutors say drove a 13-year-old girl to suicide by tormenting her with a fake MySpace persona was acquitted of the most serious charges.

(Via NYT > Technology.)

Facebook, MySpace, YouTube are ‘recruiting tools for hate groups’ | NEWS.com.au

By staff writers and wires November 19, 2008 08:25am

THE popular websites MySpace, Facebook and YouTube are being used as recruiting tools by extremist groups, experts have warned.

“(These websites) are the ‘killer apps’ of the internet today, and they’re used by millions, but the virus of hate certainly has infected those technologies,” Christopher Wolf, chair of the International Network Against CyberHate (INACH), told the Global Summit on Internet Hate Speech.

“The internet toolbox that is available to hatemongers has had a number of new items added to it over the last several years,” Mr Wolf said, citing Web 2.0 features such as blogs, social networks, video sites and instant messaging.

Deborah Lauter, national director of civil rights for the Anti-Defamation League, said extremist groups “use these social-networking sites and they create a community, a community of hate and it has very real consequences.”
(more…)

Hacker Sentenced to Two Years For MySpace Cyber Stalking: “Jeffrey Robert Weinberg, aka V.I.P., is shipped off to a California state prison after being arrested for allegedly trying to extort phone sex from a teenage internet video star.

(Via Wired News.)

EFF pushes court to block unmasking of anonymous MySpace user: “

Constitutional challenge mounted

The Electronic Frontier Foundation is waging a constitutional challenge against an Illinois politician seeking to unmask an anonymous MySpace user accused of creating impostor profiles and posting defamatory material on them.…

“

(Via The Register – Public Sector.)

EU – ENISA asks for new legislation on social networking sites: “(IDG)
Europe’s top Internet security agency, ENISA, called for new legislation to police social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace. ‘Social networking sites are very useful social tools but we must make recommendations for how to better protect people from the risks these sites create,’ said Andreas Pirotti, executive director of ENISA (European Network and Information Security Agency). He suggested that EU legislation be expanded ‘to cover the taking of photos of people and posting them on the internet,’ he said, adding that currently there is no need to get a person’s consent in order to post a photo of them. He also said there is a ‘crucial need’ to raise awareness about how social networking sites work. Few people realize that they can be offered up as friends to people they don’t know. Also, many people don’t realize that it’s almost impossible to erase material once it has appeared on the internet, Pirotti said.”

(Via QuickLinks Update.)

MySpace suicide case based on breach of terms and conditions: “A US woman has been found guilty of perpetrating an online hoax because she violated MySpace’s terms and conditions, potentially setting a precedent that a violation of contract terms could lead to criminal convictions.”

(Via OUT-LAW News.)