Does the law that makes sending or posting annoying messages without using your real name make most message boards illegal?

Answer 1

There are not specific laws whether it refers to an anonymous posting or the use of a real name. Posters who are abusive or use obscenity are banned from some MB's on others anything goes. Disclaimers and regulations are generally established by site webmasters/managers and/or site sponsors. Freedom of Speech leaves a wide area in which one can express themselves. There are laws that have been established concerning inflamatory or threatening speech, but for the most part they are seldom enforced due to the difficulty of interpretation of those that do exist. A person cannot threaten a public official,(such as the President), but they can threaten a private citizen either verbally or in print. The citizen then has the option to file a complaint and/or pursue civil litigation. Threats, insults and so forth are not illegal unless they present a "clear and present danger" to the individual or they are accompanied by a show of physical aggression. Legalization of the WWW is virtually impossible. The U.S. government has laws pertaining to issues such as child pornography and the exploitation of minors for sexual purposes. Unfortunately very little progress has been made in the shutting down of such sites or the apprehension and successful prosecution of the site operators and other internet sexual predators . I am talking about the new law referenced here: Anonymous blog posting/ commenting to become illegal in the United States (unless you have only nice things to say), potentially outlaws comment spam Related entries in In the News US President George W Bush ratified a new law last Thursday that makes it illegal for people in the United States to post anything to a blog that could be deemed