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Finally some boundaries for the internet bullies!

post #1 of 10
5/20/08 at 6:09pm
Thread Starter 
Woman indicted in Missouri MySpace suicide case

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080516/...ternet_suicide

Quote:
A Missouri woman was indicted Thursday for her alleged role in perpetrating a hoax on the online social network MySpace against a 13-year-old neighbor who committed suicide.

Lori Drew, 49, of suburban St. Louis, who allegedly helped create a MySpace account in the name of someone who didn't exist to convince Megan Meier she was chatting with a 16-year-old boy named Josh Evans, was charged with conspiracy and fraudulently gaining access to someone else's computer.

Megan hanged herself at home in October 2006, allegedly after receiving a dozen or more cruel messages, including one stating the world would be better off without her.

Internet bullies are slowly finding out that their actions have consequences, even on the internet where they currently think they have anonymity and total free reign.

And a woman of 49 years old should have known better.
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post #2 of 10
5/20/08 at 6:15pm
i saw that yeterday and thougth about posting it.
happy to hear she got in trouble for it.
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post #3 of 10
5/20/08 at 6:30pm
Thread Starter 
I'm 46 and have been on the receiving end of some very malicious people. I know the toll it can take on you both mentally and emotionally. It caused me to fall into a horrid depression that I'm still trying to climb out of years later. So I can certainly understand that poor little girl and how it affected her. I only wish she had the strength to hang on.

That woman was indicted. I hope they give her the fullest penalty that the law allows, and I also wish they had prosecuted the kids that were involved too.

So many people try and hide behind the computer and get their jollies by hurting others. They feel safe and secure and think that their actions are untouchable.
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post #4 of 10
5/21/08 at 3:30am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Natalie_ca View Post
And a woman of 49 years old should have known better.
I fully agree. That's disgusting that a grown women can do something like that
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post #5 of 10
5/21/08 at 3:35am
That was very very sad. The poor girl.I was so appalled by that story.
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post #6 of 10
5/21/08 at 8:51am
While I agree the woman's behavior was inexcusable, I have to wonder why such an impressionable young girl was given unfettered access to the Internet.

From the article:
Quote:
Tina Meier has acknowledged Megan was too young to have a MySpace account under the Web site's guidelines, but she said she had been able to closely monitor the account. Meier's family has also acknowledged that Megan was also sending mean messages before her death.

Megan was being treated for attention deficit disorder and depression, her family has said. Meier has said Drew knew Megan was on medication.
I don't believe, for one second, the only reason this girl committed suicide was due to some mean MySpace messages. There was sufficient mental illness and/or some other issues present in her life to allow pretty typical teenager snarkiness to push her over the edge.

Kids behave in this manner all the time. I have yet to meet a person who was never rude or mean to someone (no matter how much we may come to regret it later in life). If you/they happened to be "the straw that broke the camel's back", does that really deserve jail time?
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post #7 of 10
5/21/08 at 9:03am
I remember reading about this in a magazine a while back. Really sad.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Natalie_ca View Post
And a woman of 49 years old should have known better.


I agree.
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post #8 of 10
5/21/08 at 6:13pm
I'm glad to see that internet bullies' actions are having consequences now, but I've also had not an ounce of sadness for the girl who killed herself over an "internet boyfriend".

This turned into a huge argument at work, to the point where someone barely wanted to talk to me afterwards because I disagreed with her opinion. Obviously, that girl had a lot more problems in her life, if she wanted to kill herself over some "guy" on the internet she never met and thought she was dating. Come on now. It IS nice for them to have someone to blame for her finally doing it. I think its strange to get so upset over what a stranger has to say to you - especially if they dont honestly know you. I've had many people say malicious things to me, but its never been worth wanting to take my life. I've even had "friends", people who knew me in person, tell me to take myself out of this world, but I didnt go and do it.

It's horrible that her parents had to deal with her actions, suicide (I can imagine) would be hard to deal with. But I dont feel pity for the girl who did it.
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post #9 of 10
5/21/08 at 6:32pm
While the case was egregious, it has a chilling effect of allowing private companies to make laws. They are basing their case on the fact that the woman violated MySpace's terms of use.

How closely have you read the terms of use for this site? Who's to say when that line is crossed where violating terms of use become a felony?

The details should be in the laws, not the fine print when you log on to a site.
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post #10 of 10
5/21/08 at 7:17pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by katachtig View Post
While the case was egregious, it has a chilling effect of allowing private companies to make laws. They are basing their case on the fact that the woman violated MySpace's terms of use.

How closely have you read the terms of use for this site? Who's to say when that line is crossed where violating terms of use become a felony?

The details should be in the laws, not the fine print when you log on to a site.
If they're going to start throwing online "fraud" around, I hope they don't get wind of Internet personals websites.
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