The controversy surrounding a fake MySpace explanation that allegedly drove 13-year-old Megan Meier to commit suicide in October 2006 is raising new questions about the use of pseudonyms and false identities on social networking sites.

The news that federal prosecutors in Los Angeles have asked a grand jury to investigate possible violations of federal wire swindle and cyberfraud laws in the case has sparked widespread debate about the appropriate balance within anonymous speech and potentially criminal activity.

At a press

conference last month, Missouri prosecutor Jack Banas said that his office was unable to prove that the false MySpace history was set up with the intent to harm Megan Meier, and as a aftereffect, there were no charges that could be filed against the alleged perpetrators.

A distant History of Anonymous Speech

Kurt Opsahl, senior staff attorney for the EFF (Electronic Frontier Foundation), said that there is a towering history of anonymous […]

Orginal post by Top Tech News