Lawmaker Defends Imprisoning Hostile Bloggers

Click on the above title to see the article which appears to be a good discussion of the issue of cyberbullying, censorship, and the Megan Meier Cyberbullying Act (HR 1966). This act is being introduced into Congress. The question I have is what is the definition of a "hostile" blogger that will ultimately be applied here? This lawmaker says it will not apply to those with politically incorrect or dissenting viewpoints. I would like to believe her. However the bill is so broadly written that it wouldn't be hard to make it apply to a wide variety of situations that could be perceived as hostile. Passed in its current form it could put us on the slippery slope to censorship. There is no doubt in my mind there needs to be a law against cyberbullying but the law needs to address the type of bullying Megan Meier was subjected to. What happened to her was a horrible tragedy and there needs to be an avenue for justice for anyone subjected to what she went through. Trust me, as the mother of a teenage daughter, I would have devoted my life to getting such a law enacted. However, the law needs to be written to address the specific issue at hand. If written too broadly it will negatively affect people who are simply exercising their right to free speech.