Hacking? Of course. Cyberbullying? Understandable. Sending naked pics? Whatever. The range of Internet crimes has rapidly increased over the years and the very notion of a criminal act has been stretched in some regards—like in Tennessee. Now, in “The Volunteer State,” Internet users will essentially volunteer themselves for a misdemeanor anytime they send out an offensive image, whether to an intended, direct recipient or even to someone else who indirectly sees it.
“Anyone who sees the image is a potential victim,” reports Ars Technica. “If a court decides you ‘should have known’ that an image you posted would be upsetting to someone who sees it, you could face months in prison and thousands of dollars in fines.” The legislation is actually an addendum to state law already applying the aforementioned, insane liability to e-mails and phone calls.
And to take things further back into the Stone Age, Tennessee recently enacted theft-of-service laws applicable to the likes of Netflix. Layman’s: it’s a crime to share your Netflix subscription.
Stealing your neighbor’s wi-fi is probably next on their docket.
[Gamma Squad via Ars Technica]
