George Washington University teacher Orin Kerr elevated blood pressures around the country on September 14. The Op-Ed he authored for the Wall Street Journal, published that day, specified the horrors of the so-called "Facebook Felony" law. The 1980's cyber-security bill being revised has been modified many times; the "Facebook Felony" could not be a choice any more, but there are still possibly significant changes.

Facebook Felony facts

It would be a felony to lie on the internet if the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act were to have been put through in 1986, as reported by Professor Kerr. With the regulation, it wouldn't have been okay to lie on the internet at any time. This integrated during all services. With the law, it would have been a felony to put up a phony name or phony weight. Fake ages would also have been illegal. Targeting hackers that are going to hurt networks have caused the change to the regulation.

Individual individuals affected

Urged by Kerr and others, the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee considers the update to the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act added an amendment. The exemption is for "access in violation of a contractual obligation or agreement, such as an acceptable use policy or terms of service agreement, with an Internet service provider, Internet website, or non-government employer, if such violation constitutes the sole basis for determining that access to a protected computer is unauthorized." Al Franken and Chuck Grassley imagined of many examples that shouldn't be a felony but are not ethical still in the controversy. Things such as creating anonymous accounts on FourSquare to add optimistic reviews of your business - not felonious, but certainly unethical. There were times when cyber securities statues were used. These were used in extreme cases to get bullies prosecuted.

What to watch out for

There is surely an ever-increasing focus on online identity and security, no matter what Congress does. A fake MySpace profile got a female prosecuted in 2009. This was done by the Justice Department. One person got charged because of a computer program that bought TicketMaster tickets in 2010. Civil cases will often use laws preventing unauthorized access. You've to always follow the terms of the website you are on. The likelihood that you will be prosecuted for lying about your age on a dating site may be low, but it is always a good idea to read and understand the full terms of service so you know the rights and responsibilities you are likely to be held accountable for.