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Judge Acquits Lori Drew in Cyberbullying Case, Overrules Jury...

2009-08-14T13:38:00.001-07:00

Judge Acquits Lori Drew in Cyberbullying Case, Overrules Jury

Hooray!! You might wonder why the verdict was overturned? Because the Supreme Court never would have upheld the decision.

Sentencing date for Drew pushed to May 18

2009-04-06T10:18:00.000-07:00

Sentencing date for Drew pushed to May 18

The sentencing date for Lori Drew, convicted in November for her involvement in a MySpace hoax that led to the 2006 suicide of a teenager, has been pushed back to May 18.

Megan Meier MySpace profile

2009-01-22T10:24:00.001-08:00

Did MySpace have the right to solicit personal information from a 13 year old girl?

MySpace illegally solicited personal information from 13 year old Megan Meier. They led her to believe that she was legally obligated to supply that information when she was not legally obligated to do anything whatsoever for MySpace. They also decieved her into supplying her email and the password to her email. They then invaded her account and sent invitations to all of her personal contacts. This is what brought the Drew's and Meier's together on MySpace.

MySpace is guilty of hacking a computer.

Jakester vs. the jokesters

2009-01-20T13:19:00.001-08:00

The notorious writer known as the Jakester of blogging fame wants to outlaw jokes on the Internet. As we know of the Megan Meier and Lori Drew fiasco, Megan Meier was defaming Lori Drew's daughter on the social website MySpace (which is not really myspace, it's yourspace because I'm not so stoopid to use such an imbecilic "service").

So Lori Drew's daughter and friends made an account to find out what was being said. Megan Meier, the original "cyber bully" in this case was making a good time of it at the expense of Lori Drew's family. Unlike some people, Lori Drew's daughter did not go hang herself dead.

Well anyway, lots of jokes were told in sarcastic tones. Jokes like "I would die for you" and "The world would be a better place without you" - standard family fare. Everyone was having a great time until Dumbo goes and hangs herself. After having the pleasure of exercising her right to free speech. Talk about spoiling the party.

Now Jakester and his troop of clowns are on a campaign to stamp out jokes. It's Jakester against the jokesters. Oh, J. also wants the government to get into the action. OK, Jake. Which government? There are millions of governments. If the governments get involved they will be extraditing people from Miami to Beijing to stand trail for speaking out against their communist government. The only thing that is going to happen if governments get involved in the government of the web is that everything is going to get even murkier.

I'm not about to stand aside while the web goes down to right wing and left wing fascists and extremist just because of the foolish actions of one 13 year old girl. I know right from wrong and Jakester is as wrong as a dead Megan.

Oh! J. Where did you go wrong?

More comments to "Jakester"

2009-01-20T06:08:00.001-08:00

"You want to charge My Space? Again I must ask what for?" - The "Jakester"

Hacking a computer.

"And even with you posting on my blog you are doing this as an anonymous person.
Your screen name is *****
For all I know you are Lori Drew herself.

This is exactly the anonymous status people need and want on line."

You go by "Jakester". I guess you're a hacker? Don't tell me that you are so stoopid that you would trust MySpace with your personal information? It's people like you that are helping the next generation to sell their souls to the machine.

That's beside the point. Did Lori Drew hack a computer? No!

Response to The Jakester

2009-01-19T10:19:00.000-08:00

AKA The Jakester has left a new comment on the post "Lori Drew, What’s your opinion of this case?":

"What is the new fangled interpretation? Her convictions were over creating and using false information to create an account on MySpace. As long as I have been using MySpace it has been in the policy that you cannot use false information."

We are talking about an interpretation of the hacking law. It's not only new fanglesd, it's a newly mangled law. And I don't like it because it's not star spangled.

"What would the Meiers be charged with? "

I don't know but I think I should be able to contort the law to suit me, just as the opposition has done.

"Better yet what would MySpace be charges with?"

MySpace illegally solicited personal information from a 13 year old girl. They led her to believe that she was legally obligated to supply that information when she was not legally obligated to do anything whatsoever for MySpace. They also decieved her into supplying her email and the password to her email. They then invaded her account and sent invitations to all of her personal contacts. This is what brought the Drew's and Meier's together on MySpace.

Response to Benjamin Wright

2009-01-17T04:35:00.000-08:00

Benjamin Wright said...

"Jurisdiction is a matter of procedure. Regardless of procedure in Lori Drew's case, the law found a way to express its opinion on cyberbullying -- behavior for which society has little tolerance. Cyberbullying is poison for anyone it touches. An institution like Myspace -- or a library or a school, which provides patrons, students or guests access to the Internet -- has plentiful incentive to stamp out cyberbullying within its system and its PCs. Regardless of how the law says it (through a misdemeanor criminal conviction or otherwise), the law has made clear it wants to find a way to punish anyone involved with cyberbullying." --Ben

Thank you Ben -

What procedure can posssibly authorize an offline organization's attempt to govern the Internet users? Are you saying that an offline organization such as the legislature of the State of Missouri or the town of Poopville has jurisdiction over an Internet user or a group of Internet users? What if those laws conflict with eachother? And who has the power to extradite an alleged offender? In this case, a federal prosecuter stepped in and prosecuted a resident of Missouri in California because MySpace is located in Santa Barbara. This logic extended means that the Chinese government can extradite people to Beijing to stand trial for posting opinions contrary to the laws of the Chinese Communist Party.

China's Porn Crackdown May Be Aimed At Dissent

I don't think I like the idea of offline agencies posing as having authority over Internet users.

The prosecution of Lori Drew is not a cyberbulltying case. She supplied false information to a social website in order to protect her identity. Does she have that right? Did she hack a computer? Did MySpace have the right to solicit and collect personal information from either Lori or 12 year old Megan Meier? I say that they don't. Did they unlawfully allow access to a minor? Maybe. But then they have no business checking whether she is a minor or not. More on this in the weeks to come.

I intend to take these issues out of local offline courts and put them into the hands of online organizations. In the case of minors, the issues fall right in the laps of the neglectful parents.

This specific incident was an accident. There was a common hazing going on that Megan herself participated in. Everyone was posting in the dramatic mode. Megan said things like "You're the kind of boy a girl would die for". Lori said the "the world would be a better place without Megan". In the "Cyberbullying" business, we call that a "joke". Lots of people who talk to eachother on the web that way don't go and hang themselves. I reserve the right to tell anyone to go jump in the lake. To take an online text out of a chat and bring it into a courtroom for interpretation is purely deceitful.

I also stand for the rights of people to remain anonymous. So it is not my responsibility to investigate whether a person is a minor or not. That is the business of the parents.

Now if MySpace or the feds are going to take issue over hacking when the real issue is something else, I think that we, the public, might take issue with MySpace and the government. So prepare yourself for my next argument.

Lori Drew sparks discussions

2009-01-13T19:09:00.001-08:00

Quote:

Originally Posted by viscousmemories

Based on what I know of the situation, an adult parent psychologically tortured a neighbor's child to the point where the child became suicidally distraught, and ultimately killed herself..

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChuckF

I don't see how you could possibly know this. Even if Megan Meier did commit suicide because of Lori Drew's comments on MySpace, I think it's a safe bet to say that she had some pretty significant unaddressed psychological issues to begin with. In fact, I would say that the fact she committed suicide "because of" (I don't see how this could be proven) something that happened on MySpace is prima facie evidence of some pretty severe underlying issues. Why is Lori Drew more culpable than any of the other bullies that arguably contributed to this condition? Simply because she was the last one to mess with Meier?

Don't get me wrong, Lori Drew is repugnant. I just don't see the need for draconian punishment in a case of internet stalking.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stephen Maturin

A criminal defense lawyer I knew back in Ohio was fond of saying that there's no such thing as a human activity that doesn't constitute a federal crime. Looks like maybe he was right.

The indictment (pdf, 10 pages) charges violations -- and, of course, the obligatory conspiracy to violate -- provisions of the federal Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, 18 U.S.C. § 1030. The applicable provision of the statute criminalizes "intentionally access[ing] a computer without authorization or exceed[ing] authorized access, and thereby obtain[ing] . . . information from any protected computer if the conduct involved an interstate or foreign communication[.]"

The "protected computer"? MySpace's server. (The case's only nexus with California appears to be the fact that MySpace's servers are located there.) The "exceed[ing] authorized access"? Violating MySpace's terms of service. The "obtain[ing] . . . information"? I'm not entirely clear on that just yet.

Assuming the factual allegations are true (Drew denies them, last I heard), Drew is a fucking monster. Even so, this indictment is more than a little disturbing. Hell, I violate somebody's ToS pretty much every goddamn day.

In apparent recognition of the causation problem that Chuck identified, they're not charging a connection between Drew's conduct and the kid's death. The five-year-per-offense maximum sentence is spelled out in § 1030(c)(2)(B)(ii), which applies where "the offense was committed in furtherance of any criminal or tortious act in violation of the Constitution or laws of the United States or of any State[.]" The indictment alleges that Drew committed the CFAA offenses in furtherance of a state law tort, namely intentional infliction of emotional distress.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stephen Maturin

The "obtain[ing] . . . information"? I'm not entirely clear on that just yet.

If I had to venture a guess, I'd say this could apply to the areas of myspace that are accessible to members only. So if she obtained a membership under fraudulent information (fake name, age, gender, etc.), and used that membership to view parts of the site she couldn't see without being logged in, I would go ahead and buy the "obtaining information" part. Especially if the girl had a private profile set so that only her friends could view it, and this woman masqueraded as a boy to get added to the friends list.

Quote:

Assuming the factual allegations are true (Drew denies them, last I heard), Drew is a fucking monster. Even so, this indictment is more than a little disturbing. Hell, I violate somebody's ToS pretty much every goddamn day.

Exactly. If they charged everybody who made a myspace account with false information, that would be ... um ... a lot of people getting charged for it.

Quote:

In apparent recognition of the causation problem that Chuck identified, they're not charging a connection between Drew's conduct and the kid's death.

This is my main beef with this whole issue. She is being charged with computer hacking (or whatever), because the girl died, and yet she is not being charged with the girl's death, because there's no grounds. Nobody else who "hacks" myspace with fake information is being charged for their crimes. I mean, yeah, she's a horrible person (allegedly) but you can't just bend and twist the law around to punish people any which way you choose. That's, like, not what the spirit of the law is. And if it could happen to her, what's to stop it from happening to anybody else?

Quote:

The indictment alleges that Drew committed the CFAA offenses in furtherance of a state law tort, namely intentional infliction of emotional distress.

I'll give them this one.

Quote:

Originally Posted by viscousmemories

Chuck, you're right that I don't know whether Lori Drew's actions drove this girl to suicide, but I think it could be proved at least "beyond a reasonable doubt". If a child is holding a loaded gun to their head and an adult posing as the child's One True Love™ says "do it you worthless piece of shit" ... well then to me it's obvious on its face that the adult caused the suicide. In my opinion (if the facts as presented are true, natch) this situation is pretty closely analogous to that.

Anyway when I said "hangin's too good for her" I was being metaphorical, not really advocating the death penalty. I just wouldn't be surprised if she does less than six months (if any time at all) with these trumped up charges they've brought against her, and I raelly think that prolonged psychological child abuse should be punished more harshly.

Of course I didn't think you actually meant that she should be killed by the state, I was just a little surprised at the calls for long prison sentences etc.

The difference between this case and your hypothetical is that Megan Meier wasn't holding a gun to her head - and even if she did, Lori Drew couldn't see it. While Drew is definitely a childish bitch engaging in psychological abuse of a child, I don't see how she could have predicted (or have been reasonably expected to be able to foresee) that Megan Meier would commit suicide as a result of her admittedly cruel bullying. Could other factors in Meier's depression - say, other bullies at school - be considered culpable as well since they contributed to her suicidal mental state?

I know in some places inciting to suicide is manslaughter, but I don't know if that applies in this case since Drew could argue she had no idea Meier was suicidal, and I'm not sure that there was a clear incitement.

Quote:

Originally Posted by viscousmemories

My thinking is that a 13 yr. old depressive has a metaphorical gun to her head, and if Lori Drew knew about her condition then she could 'see' it.

Well, yes, if Lori Drew knew that she was suicidal then that would make a difference.

But did she - or could she - have such knowledge? Consider this from Megan's own parents, who should have had more information about her daughter's mental state:

Quote:

At school, Megan had handed out invitations to her upcoming birthday party and when she got home she asked her mother to log on to MySpace to see if Josh had responded.

Why did he suddenly think she was mean? Who had he been talking to?

Tina signed on. But she was in a hurry. She had to take her younger daughter, Allison, to the orthodontist.

Before Tina could get out the door it was clear Megan was upset. Josh still was sending troubling messages. And he apparently had shared some of Megan's messages with others.

Tina recalled telling Megan to sign off.

"I will Mom," Megan said. "Let me finish up."

Tina was pressed for time. She had to go. But once at the orthodontist's office she called Megan: Did you sign off?

"No, Mom. They are all being so mean to me."

"You are not listening to me, Megan! Sign off, now!"

Fifteen minutes later, Megan called her mother. By now Megan was in tears.

"They are posting bulletins about me." A bulletin is like a survey. "Megan Meier is a slut. Megan Meier is fat."

Megan was sobbing hysterically. Tina was furious that she had not signed off.

Once Tina returned home she rushed into the basement where the computer was. Tina was shocked at the vulgar language her daughter was firing back at people.

"I am so aggravated at you for doing this!" she told Megan.

Megan ran from the computer and left, but not without first telling Tina, "You're supposed to be my mom! You're supposed to be on my side!"

On the stairway leading to her second-story bedroom, Megan ran into her father, Ron.

"I grabbed her as she tried to go by," Ron says. "She told me that some kids were saying horrible stuff about her and she didn't understand why. I told her it's OK. I told her that they obviously don't know her. And that it would be fine."

Megan went to her room and Ron went downstairs to the kitchen, where he and Tina talked about what had happened, the MySpace account, and made dinner.

Her parents don't act like people aware that their daughter is suicidal, even though her mother was supposedly closely monitoring her daughter's MySpace (see linked article). More from the linked article:

Quote:

She was heavy and for years had tried to lose weight. She had attention deficit disorder and battled depression. Back in third grade she had talked about suicide, Tina says, and ever since had seen a therapist.

But things were going exceptionally well. She had shed 20 pounds, getting down to 175. She was 5 foot 5½ inches tall.

She had just started eighth grade at a new school, Immaculate Conception, in Dardenne Prairie, where she was on the volleyball team. She had attended Fort Zumwalt public schools before that.

Amid all these positives, Tina says, her daughter decided to end a friendship with a girlfriend who lived down the street from them. The girls had spent much of seventh grade alternating between being friends and, the next day, not being friends, Tina says.

She hadn't discussed suicide (at least not in front of her mother) for several years, and her mother reported that things were going exceptionally well.

If Megan Meier's mother didn't know that her daughter was suicidal, how could Lori Drew?

Quote:

But anyway, I've been thinking a lot about this in the last couple of days and I realize that my desire to see her spend a long time in prison isn't necessarily rational. I just think that an adult woman (and mother, no less) attacking a young girl by pointedly targetting her self-esteem is so despicable that I want her to spend eternity in a lake of fire for it. And since I don't believe in Hell, prison is the next best.

I agree, her acts were reprehensible, but I don't like the idea of the feds trumping up charges just because. They do enough of that in the war on terra.

What I'm getting at is this: I haven't seen any evidence to support the idea that Lori Drew somehow knew more about Megan Meier's mental state that Meier's parents did. Until such evidence is presented, it isn't fair to assume that Drew did know more, and then proceed from the assertion that Lori Drew knew Meir was suicidal and intentionally incited her to suicide.

I don't think she intended to drive the girl to suicide, either, but I do think she intended to cause her considerable harm. If she has any sense, she'll be glad I don't have any punitive authority.

Who has jurisdiction over the Internet?

2008-12-30T11:23:00.000-08:00

One Los Angeles Times blog is following the Lori Drew case with interest. I like their opinion that the trial was bogus and never should have occurred. I do hope that this goes to the highest courts.

No offline organization should have authority over the Internet. Now we are seeing every state, county and township making laws for the world wide web. So if I am a Japanese citizen and do something that is against the laws of the legislature of the State of Missouri (or whatever local, state or federal agency) I might be extradited to the State of Missouri to face charges? It's only adding more confusion to the situation and does nothng to clarify matters.

Lori Drew Files New Bid for Dismissal on Grounds that MySpace ...

2008-12-26T08:10:00.000-08:00

Lori Drew Files New Bid for Dismissal on Grounds that MySpace ...

Lori Drew Files New Bid for Dismissal on Grounds that MySpace Authorized Access

GO LORI!!!

Over 90% of forum users rightfully withhold personal information at the point of registration. The web community has overwhelmingly rejected the terms of service. These forums are granting access but that does not constitute a legal contract. The so-called "contracts" are invalid because they are not the product of a discussion and lack a signiture or witness.

The worse thing that the web community can do is to put the law into the hands of individual offline organizations such as state legilatures and local courts. Nothing but absolute copnfusion can result. How is the state of Missouri going to prosecute a poster posting from China?

The long arm of the law is reaching beyond it's capabilities.

Lori Drew, What’s your opinion of this case?

2008-12-11T12:02:00.000-08:00

Anonymous has left a new comment on the post "Lori Drew, What’s your opinion of this case?":

As tragic as this case is; I have to say that I cannot find the Drew's completely at fault. I have to say that some of the blame lies with the Meiers.

The problem with a lot of the kids in today's society is parental control. As the mother of a 10 year-old, I know how hard it is to monitor every little activity that they do. But as hard as it is, it is still our responsibility to watch over them. We also must communicate with our children. Nowadays, when in most homes both parents work it seems like it is sometimes easier to say "go to your room and leave me alone." And what are kids doing in their rooms? getting on the computer or sitting in front of a TV playing video games. I myself am guilty of such. However, our computer is in our living room and I am able to monitor what my son does on it.

MySpace is a huge outlet for teenagers, even my 10 year-old has his own page. Nevertheless it comes with rules. He is not allowed to add friends that use profanity, or have anything on their page that I deem offensive. I have personally have seen some Myspace pages of kids as young as mine with nothing, but nudity and profanity spread across their page. It is mindboggling to say the least. I have to approve who he adding as a friend.

Now can these kids set these pages up at their friends houses and it be unknown to you? Most definitely, but once again this is where the diligence of being a parent comes in......Talk to the parents of your child's friends, observe their surroundings, monitor their activities and if at any time your gut instinct tells you something isn't right, BELIEVE IT!

I am sure in this case, Megan also had some underlying issues such as depression, self-esteem issues etc. that contributed to her suicide it wasn't all due to cyber-bullying. The parents of the other teen without a doubt were contributors to Megan's untimely death, but they should not be soley liable.

Hopefully, this case will cause more parents to be pro-active in their children's lives.

Posted by Anonymous to True Crime Cases by The Jakester at Thursday, December 11, 2008 3:24:00 AM

2008-12-08T13:29:00.000-08:00

Cyberbullying Led to 13-year old suicideBy Bernadette's Digital Education Space(Bernadette's Digital Education Space)Our students are the greatest stakeholders in this issue as they are inmost cases victims of this act. To sum up the article, a 49 year old womanby the name of Lori Drew of Missouri, with help from.http://spaceforeducation.blogspot.com/2008/12/cyberbullying-led-to-13-year-old.htmlMy Digital Education Spacehttp://spaceforeducation.blogspot.com/

Tweets for week ending 2008-12-06By Ira Nathenson“Why the Lori Drew Decision Was a Bad One,” http://tinyurl.com/6nbrem#; Gleick on “How to Publish Without Perishing,”http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/30/opinion/30gleick.html #. Powered byTwitter Tools.http://digitalgarbage.net/2008/12/06/tweets-for-week-ending-2008-12-06-2/digital garbagehttp://digitalgarbage.net/

More thoughts on the Lori Drew case : Opinion LA : Los Angeles TimesBy William Cooke(William Cooke)More thoughts on the Lori Drew case : Opinion LA : Los Angeles Times:"Think about how things could play out if this logic were applied by otherUS attorneys. When confronted with deplorable online behavior that wasn'tspecifically ...http://tobaccoland.blogspot.com/2008/12/more-thoughts-on-lori-drew-case-opinion.htmlTobaccoland.ushttp://tobaccoland.blogspot.com/

Megan MeierBy flutter1Lori Drew denied initial police reports that she set up the account withher daughter. Federal allegations say that she was instrumental to thehoax, but she blames her employee in her home-based direct-mail business,Ashley Grills, ...http://www.flutterbyewings.com/suicide/megan-meierFlutterbyeWingshttp://www.flutterbyewings.com/

The Lori Drew VerdictBy Bruce E. BoydenAnne Reed, author of the Deliberations blog, has some interesting comments on the possible role of jury selection in the verdict in the LoriDrew/MySpace harassment case.http://law.marquette.edu/facultyblog/2008/12/05/the-lori-drew-verdict/ Marquette University Law School...http://law.marquette.edu/facultyblog/

Lori Drew case and cyberbullyingBy MaureenThere is a great posting by social networking expert danah boyd regardingcyberbullying as it relates to the Lori Drew case. Definitely worth a look- the comments are insightful too! ...http://yearoftheteen.edublogs.org/2008/12/05/lori-drew-case-and-cyberbullying/Central Massachusetts Year of the Teenhttp://yearoftheteen.edublogs.org/

2008-12-08T13:27:00.000-08:00

A Federal CaseBy Christopher OrletDesperate to punish alleged cyberbully Lori Drew, 47, state prosecutorsscrambled to find an applicable cyberbullying law. When they couldn't findone, federal prosecutors sought to turn what should have been a tort claiminto a federal ...http://spectator.org/archives/2008/12/08/a-federal-caseThe American Spectatorhttp://spectator.org/http://spectator.org

Blawg Review #189By Colin Samuels(Colin Samuels)Many bloggers discussed aspects of the Lori Drew case, which has seen morethan its fair share of fickle public opinion. Venkat Balasubramani wrotethat the government's use of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act has led to amuddled ...http://infamyorpraise.blogspot.com/2008/12/blawg-review-189.htmlInfamy or Praisehttp://infamyorpraise.blogspot.com/

Power, danger with reviews onlineNot to mention being "fake" could now be crime due to the Lori Drew MySpacejudgment. I think if we're going to treat the Web like its a legitimatetool for communication then we need to be prepared manage our actions inthe same manner ...http://patrickbeeson.com/ blog/2008/dec/08/power-danger-with-reviews-online/patrickbeeson.com The blog...http://patrickbeeson.com/

A Tortious ActBy MediaMaven(MediaMaven)Last week, Lori Drew was acquitted on three felony counts of unauthorizeduse of MySpace and one count of conspiracy, though she was convicted of amisdemeanor on the former. Members of the jury, according to forewomanValentina Kunasz, ...http://dissectionandintrospection.blogspot.com/2008/12/tortious-act.htmlDissection and Introspectionhttp://dissectionandintrospection.blogspot.com/

Google’s terms of use: Did you know your kids could be criminals?By Kurt GreenbaumCharles, dwelling on the misdemeanor convictions of Lori Drew for“hacking,” in violation of the MySpace terms of service. According tothe NPR segment, my son and daughter are potentially criminals because theyhave violated Google’s ...http://www.stltoday.com/blogzone/talk-of-the-day/talk-of-the-day/2008/12/googles-terms-of-use-did-you-know-your-kids-could-be-criminals/Talk of the Dayhttp://www.stltoday.com/blogzone/talk-of-the-day/

This woman is scumBy Kevin FischerThat's Lori Drew and her daughter Sarah Drew. Lori Drew was accused ofmaking unauthorized use of MySpace to cause emotional harm to a 13-year-oldgirl, who then committed suicide. Lori Drew was found guilty ofmisdemeanors in a case ...http://blogs.franklinnow.com/this_just_in/archive/2008/12/06/Lori-Drew12_2F00_7_2F00_08.aspxThis Just In...http://blogs.franklinnow.com/this_just_in/default.aspx

The Week in Review: Prohibition DayBy Matt KelleyThe forewoman of the jury said she wanted to convict Lori Drew of a felony,but couldn't get consensus. Slate's Emily Bazelon wrote that the jury'sdecision to convict Lori Drew is indefensible. Wired published the juryinstructions. ...http://criminaljustice.change.org/blog/view/the_week_in_review_prohibition_day Change.org's Criminal Justice Bloghttp://criminaljustice.change.org/

Lori Drew Blogging

2008-12-05T12:10:00.001-08:00

By Parliamentarians
I am going to be following the case of Lori Drew through the superior
courts until the "law" is stamped out. So I'll be blogging along with
others on the new Support Lori Drew blog. You are invited to stop by and
drop off an opinion. ...
http://foc08-artie.blogspot.com/2008/12/lori-drew-blogging.html
Facilitating Online Communities foc08
http://foc08-artie.blogspot.com/

Day of reckoning for Lori Drew with a verdict of $300000 and up to ...
By Jim McDermott
... Lori Drew, the mother responsible for crushing Megan Meier's spirit,
was convicted of accessing computers without authorization. Even though
this is a misdemeanor, it'sa start, and I completely support the emotion
behind Tina Meier ...
http://techomnivore.wordpress.com/2008/12/05/day-of-reckoning-for-lori-drew-with-a-verdict-of-300000-and-up-to-three-years-prison-for-cyberbullying/
Tales of a Technology Omnivore
http://techomnivore.wordpress.com/

Jury Instructions in Lori Drew Case Published
By admin
A couple of readers have asked me about the jury instructions in the Lori
Drew case. The US District court in Los Angeles published the instructions
in the court record today, and I'm including them here. ...
http://popmartian.com/techpile/2008/12/05/jury-instructions-in-lori-drew-case-published-2/
TPile
http://popmartian.com/techpile/

MySpace, MyRules: Why Jurors Gave Lori Drew a Pass
By Steven Mikulan
Despite the architectural gravitas of its setting -- downtown's WPA Federal
Courthouse -- and the presence at the prosecution table of the formidable
US Attorney Tom O'Brien, the Lori Drew MySpace t. ...
http://blogs.laweekly.com/ladaily/trials/myspace-myrules-why-jurors-gav/
LA Daily
http://blogs.laweekly.com/ladaily/

Why the soft treatment of Lori Drew?
By devils_workshop(devils_workshop)
Why does it seem like every article I read about Megan Meier is so soft on
Lori Drew? Why does no one call it like it is? She is pathetic and
psychotic. I mean, being a girl in junior high is pure hell, as I can
attest. ...
http://devils-workshop.livejournal.com/4067.html
devils_workshop
http://devils-workshop.livejournal.com/

How Cyberbullying Laws Threaten Free Speech

2008-12-04T16:14:00.000-08:00

How Cyberbullying Laws Threaten Free Speech

As a matter of law, the verdict against Lori Drew in the MySpace suicide case is fairly indefensible. A U.S. attorney in Los Angeles went after a misdeed in Missouri—when state and federal prosecutors there didn't think Drew's actions constituted a crime—with a crazy-broad reading of a statute written to punish computer hacking. Just about every single law professor and editorial writer to weigh in has condemned the prosecutorial overreaching. But the failure to make a valid case against Drew begs a larger question: Is there a better way to go after cyber-bullying? Or is this the kind of troublemaking, however nefarious, the government shouldn't try to punish... read more...

Cyberbulling, free speech. Yep, the Lori Drew case

2008-12-04T10:47:00.000-08:00

By ncacblog
Slate’s Emily Bazelon has a piece today on the Lori Drew case. The
terrible backstory: in 2006, Drew, her daughter, and her assistant, created
a fake Myspace profile of a 16 year old boy and sent messages to a teen
neighbor, ...
http://ncacblog.wordpress.com/2008/12/04/cyberbulling-free-speech-yep-the-lori-drew-case/
Blogging Censorship
http://ncacblog.wordpress.com/

Does The Lori Drew Verdict Put Us All At Risk?
By dme
Lori Drew is a mom who created a fake MySpace account, pretending to be a
teenage boy, and used it to harass one of her daughter’s friends,
13-year-old Megan Meier. Drew pretended to like the little girl, and then
ultimately… ...
http://www.droppingscience.com/2008/12/04/does-the-lori-drew-verdict-put-us-all-at-risk/
Dropping Science
http://www.droppingscience.com/

"Lori Drew Is a Meanie: The problem with prosecuting cyber-bullying."
"Lori Drew Is a Meanie: The problem with prosecuting cyber-bullying." Emily
Bazelon has this jurisprudence essay online at Slate.
http://howappealing.law.com/120308.html#031485
How Appealing
http://howappealing.law.com/

Jurors Wanted to Convict Lori Drew of Felonies, But Lacked Evidence
By Wired(Wired)
The jury forewoman in the Lori Drew trial says jurors wanted to convict
Lori Drew on three felony counts for unauthorized access to MySpace's
computer system, but were stymied by lack of evidence from the prosecutor
and had to convict ...
http://wiredmag.livejournal.com/3569832.html
Get Your LJ Wired
http://wiredmag.livejournal.com/

Internet in Uproar Over Lori Drew Verdict

2008-12-03T12:21:00.000-08:00

Internet in Uproar Over Verdict for Lori Drew in Megan Meier Teen ...
1 Dec 2008 The case against Lori Drew, the woman who was involved in the creation of a fake MySpace character that eventually lead to the suicide of troubled teen Megan Meier, who was the target of Drew's charade, has concluded, and the Internet ...The Internet Patrol - http://www.theinternetpatrol.com/

Can Lori Drew Verdict Survive the 9th Circuit Court?

2008-12-03T12:13:00.001-08:00

That means someone who, for example, violated Match.com's terms of
service prohibiting married people from searching for extramarital partners
through its site, could conceivably be prosecuted for a misdemeanor if the
Lori Drew verdict ...
http://popmartian.com/techpile/2008/12/03/can-lori-drew-verdict-survive-the-9th-circuit-court-2/
TPile
http://popmartian.com/techpile/

Los Angeles Times, USA Today Run Editorials Opposing Lori Drew ...
By Orin Kerr
Today both the Los Angeles Times and the USA Today are running editorials
against the government's prosecution of Lori Drew under the Computer Fraud
and Abuse Act. The Los Angeles...
http://volokh.com/posts/1228319830.shtml
The Volokh Conspiracy
http://volokh.com/

Criminal Convictions and Lori Drew
Lori Drew was convicted because neither the prosecutor nor the jury liked
her. Criminal law should not be a popularity contest. It should be clearly
written and evenly applied. It should not be stretched to convict those
whom we want ...
http://tumblelog.marco.org/62822515
Marco.org
http://tumblelog.marco.org/

Her Name Was Megan Meier
By Lenny
As much as I would love to run into Lori Drew in a dark alley, I don't
fault the jury. Nor do I fault the prosecution for the acquittal. The
prosecutors were zealous, and wanted to bring this worthless excuse for a
human being to ...
http://www.behindthehype.com/social-commentary/her-name-was-megan-meier/
Behind the Hype Pop Culture Reviews...
http://www.behindthehype.com/

Lori Drew guilty in MySpace bully trial
By admin
Lori Drew guilty in MySpace bully trial: ". Suicide sparked by online
abuse. The woman accused of using MySpace to bully a vulnerable teenage
girl who subsequently killed herself has been found guilty of three
charges. ...
http://cyberlaw.org.uk/2008/12/03/lori-drew-guilty-in-myspace-bully-trial-2/
CyberLaw Blog
http://cyberlaw.org.uk/

Misdemeanor conviction for Lori Drew leads to more legal debate

2008-12-01T10:05:00.001-08:00

Misdemeanor conviction for Lori Drew leads to more legal debate
By Steve Ragan
On Wednesday, just before the holiday weekend started, a jury charged Lori
Drew with three misdemeanors, and cleared her of three hacking related
charges, which were federal crimes. A fourth charge, conspiracy, was
undecided, ...
<http://www.thetechherald.com/article.php/200849/2537/Misdemeanor-conviction-for-Lori-Drew-leads-to-more-legal-debate>
The Tech Herald Technology News
<http://www.thetechherald.com/>

Lori Drew, What’s your opinion of this case?
By Jakester133@gmail.com (AKA The Jakester)
Even with Lori Drew’s denials, Gills also said that Drew was the one
responsible for the creation of the fake account. Gills and Lori Drew’s
daughter both was telling Lori Drew this had gone too far and all Lori Drew
would say is “it’s ...
<http://jakester133.blogspot.com/2008/12/lori-drew-whats-your-opinion-of-this.html>
True Crime Cases by The Jakester
<http://jakester133.blogspot.com/>

Groklaw Summarizes the Lori Drew Verdict
By kaizenlog@gmail.com (Kaizenlog)
Bootsy Collins writes “Last Wednesday, the Lori Drew ‘cyberbullying’
case ended in [0]three misdemeanor convictions under the Computer Fraud and
Abuse Act, a 1986 US Federal law intended to address illegally accessing
computer systems. ...
<http://www.kaizenlog.com/2008/12/01/groklaw-summarizes-the-lori-drew-verdict/>
Kaizenlog
<http://www.kaizenlog.com/>

Internet in Uproar Over Verdict for Lori Drew in Megan Meier Teen ...
By The Internet Patrol
The case against Lori Drew, the woman who was involved in the creation of a
fake MySpace character that eventually lead to the suicide of troubled teen
Megan Meier, who was the target of Drew’s charade, has concluded, and the
Internet ...
<http://www.theinternetpatrol.com/internet-in-uproar-over-verdict-for-lori-drew-in-megan-meier-teen-suicide-case>
The Internet Patrol
<http://www.theinternetpatrol.com/>

Lori Drew Fallout: Most Atheist Bloggers are FEDERAL FELONS!
By Craig A. James(Craig A. James)
The tragic suicide of Megan Meier, allegedly triggered by "cyberbullying"
on the part of defendant Lori Drew, is one such case. Drew created a
MySpace.com account under false pretenses, pretending to be a 14-year-old
boy, ...
<http://religionvirus.blogspot.com/2008/12/lori-drew-fallout-most-atheist-bloggers.html>
The Religion Virus
<http://religionvirus.blogspot.com/>

Reflections on Lori Drew, bullying, and solutions to helping kids

2008-11-30T10:18:00.001-08:00

The involvement of Lori Drew (an adult) in the suicide of Megan Meier has been an unavoidable topic. Last week, Drew was tried on three counts of accessing computers without authorization, a legal statute meant to stop hackers. ...
http://www.zephoria.org/thoughts/archives/2008/11/30/reflections_on.html
apophenia
http://www.zephoria.org/thoughts/

The Lori Drew Case and Prosecutorial Grandstanding
By Aaron(Aaron)
Lori Drew is such a horrible person that even if the law is bent to the point of breaking, or even if it sets a really bad precedent, the verdict should stand so that she is punished for her bad acts (see, eg, news articles that cover ...

http://thestoppedclock.blogspot.com/2008/11/lori-drew-case-and-prosecutorial.html
The Stopped Clock
http://thestoppedclock.blogspot.com/

Lori Drew Verdict: Bad Law that Threatens us all?
By LBG1
The verdict is in regarding the Lori Drew trial and the Megan Meier MySpace suicide. Was Drew's conviction, a "bad law that threatens us all"? On Wednesday, a Los Angeles jury acquited Drew of the three felony charges of violating the ...

http://deathby1000papercuts.com/2008/11/lori-drew-verdict-bad-law-that-threatens-us-all/
DBKP - Death By 1000 Papercuts - DBKP
http://deathby1000papercuts.com/

Lori Drew and you
By Ron Coleman
We've written a sort of roundup touching on some of the issues implicated by the Lori Drew "MySpace suicide" prosecution and verdict over at the Media Bloggers Association Legal Blog.
http://www.likelihoodofconfusion.com/?p=1725
LIKELIHOOD OF CONFUSION®
http://www.likelihoodofconfusion.com/

Comment on Why the Lori Drew Decision Was a Bad One by saberman
By saberman
By the way, it is not completely obvious to me that Lori Drew "caused" this suicide.Megan was apparently under medical treatment for her mental problems. Was she being treated properly. Then how about the government's star witness, ...
http://gigaom.com/2008/11/29/why-the-lori-drew-decision-was-a-bad-one/#comment-915526
Comments for GigaOM
http://gigaom.com/

MySpace is guilty of negligence

2008-11-30T08:58:00.001-08:00

In this case Lori Drew has been found guilty of computer fraud because she suppiled false information when registering her account. What about Megan Meier's registration? Since she illegally accessed MySpace, who is responsible? I say that both Mrs. Meier and MySpace should be held accountable. They should both be prosecuted to the fullest extent, no, beyond the extent of the law.

Should the Lori Drew Cyberbullying Decision Be Overturned?

2008-11-29T11:36:00.001-08:00

Should the Lori Drew Cyberbullying Decision Be Overturned?

Lori Drew created the fake persona on MySpace to torture her own
daughter's classmate, Megan Meier. It's hard to imagine the kind of
mother who would involve herself in her own daughter's teenage dramas, or
to go to the extent of ...
http://faultlineusa.blogspot.com/2008/11/should-lori-drew-cyberbullying-decision.html
Faultline USA
http://faultlineusa.blogspot.com/

Why the Lori Drew Decision Was a Bad One
By Mathew Ingram
Few online events have ended as horrifically as the Lori Drew case.
Befriended by a boy on MySpace who later began bullying her, a teenager
named Megan Meier hung herself, and her online friend later turned out to
be the mother of a ...
http://gigaom.com/2008/11/29/why-the-lori-drew-decision-was-a-bad-one/
GigaOM
http://gigaom.com/

Lori Drew and You
By Matt
Now, there's no doubt that Lori Drew is a loathsome, petty human being
who deserves to be shunned, but I don't believe she should have faced
criminal charges for her acts or been convicted of computer fraud. This
article in GigaOm sums ...
http://forge.ironrealms.com/2008/11/29/lori-drew-and-you/
The Forge
http://forge.ironrealms.com/

Lori Drew Case & Online Anonymity
By Adam Thierer
Important article in the New York Times yesterday in which Brian Stelter
wondered if, in the wake of the Lori Drew verdict this week, "Is lying
about one's identity on the Internet now a crime?" It's still unclear
if the case will have ...
http://techliberation.com/2008/11/28/lori-drew-case-online-anonymity/
The Technology Liberation Front
http://techliberation.com/

Lori Drew Found Guilty On Three Misdemeanor Charges
Lori Drew, the Missouri woman who posed as a 16-year-old boy on MySpace in
order to disturb a...
http://efluxmedia.com/news_Lori_Drew_Found_Guilty_On_Three_Misdemeanor_Charges_30209.html
eFluxMedia RSS
http://www.efluxmedia.com/

Lori Drew is Guilty — AND SO ARE YOU!

2008-11-28T12:52:00.001-08:00

By marcorandazza
A twisted adult, Lori Drew, creates a MySpace page. She creates a fake profile of an adolescent boy, strikes up a friendship with a young girl, Megan Mier. Ms. Drew, breaks that Megan's fragile heart, and the girl commits suicide. ...
http://randazza.wordpress.com/2008/11/28/lori-drew-is-guilty-and-so-are-you/
The Legal Satyricon
http://randazza.wordpress.com/

Lori Drew Found Not Guilty of Felonies in MySpace Trial
Lori Drew, the 49 year-old Missouri woman who was charged with violating the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act after violating MySpace's terms of service, was found not guilty today of felony computer hacking charges. ...
http://blog.laptopmag.com/lori-drew-found-not-guilty-of-felonies-in-myspace-trial
LAPTOP Magazine: The Pulse of...
http://blog.laptopmag.com/

Lori Drew convicted of computer fraud after MySpace taunts
By SugarMob
Lori Drew, 49, who used a fake MySpace identity to taunt 13-year-old Megan Meier, was convicted yesterday of computer fraud. Meier killed herself after being bullied online by 16-year old "Josh," who turned out to be a sockpuppet ...
http://sugarmob.com/2008/11/28/lori-drew-convicted-of-computer-fraud-after-myspace-taunts-2/
Sugar Mob
http://sugarmob.com/

Update: What Do You Think Of Lori Drew's Misdemeanor Convictions?
By Alicia Sparks, Mental Health Notes
In case you haven't heard, Lori Drew - the 49-year-old woman who played some role in creating a fake MySpace page to harass 13-year-old Megan Meier (harassment that eventually ended when the "fake" MySpace user told Meier the world ...
http://www.mentalhealthnotes.com/2008/11/28/update-what-do-you-think-of-lori-drews-misdemeanor-convictions/
Mental Health Notes - News, Education...
http://www.mentalhealthnotes.com/

Lori Drew verdict
Lori Drew verdict.
http://crimene.ws/post/61996934
CrimeNe.ws
http://crimene.ws/

Computer Fraud?

2008-11-28T09:07:00.003-08:00

How is it "computer fraud" to use a fake identity on a social website?

MySpace discussion of Lori Drew verdict

2008-11-28T09:00:00.000-08:00

Just one more in a load of discussion ignited by this case.

MySpace forum

volokh.com

Support Lori Drew

techdirt.com

encyclopediadramatica.com

meganhaditcoming.blogspot.com

Byron Crawford Supports Lori Drew

2008-11-28T08:28:00.000-08:00

Byron Crawford has twittered the world a simple message of love - Free Lori Drew.

Lori Drew is the fine upstanding web community member that is being bullied by the shitloading federal prosecutor Thomas O'Brien whose fanciful interpretation of "law" threatens to assault the web. No user should have to live in fear of crapsucking homos like O'Brien to run over their rights.

According to O'Brien, he has the authority to haul in any "offenders" to be tried in his courts.

Free Speech Issue

2008-11-28T08:12:00.000-08:00

Should it be a felony or even a misdemeanor to speak freely on the Internet? Megan Meier was clearly in the dramatic mode when she said that Josh was the kind of boy a girl would die for. And I think she received the appropriate responses.

Tina Meier seems to want to shift the responsibility for her child's irresponsible activities (plural) onto the true victim here. The victim here is Free Speech - my free speech.

I think that this decision should be appealed all the way to the Supreme Court. Even then, the Supreme Court is only a local court in relation to the web. It has no legitimate jurisdiction.

"I believe in privacy on the Internet. It is not my business who you are or how old you are.

Mr. O'Brien, who asserted jurisdiction on the ground that MySpace is based in Los Angeles, where its servers are housed, said the verdict sent an "overwhelming message" to users of the Internet."

Mr. O'Brien can suck my dick. I don't think that online users need offline agencies to tell us what is right and what is wrong.

"If you are going to attempt to annoy or go after a little girl and you're going to use the Internet to do so," he said, "this office and others across the country will hold you responsible."

It's not my responsibility to know the personal characteristics of individual users. What about people who pretend to be little girls? Am I obligated to curtsy?

"Specifically, the jury found Ms. Drew guilty of accessing a computer without authorization on three occasions, a reference to the fraudulent postings on MySpace in the name of Josh Evans."

It's an attack on artists who choose to communicate in the dramatic mode.

"As a result of the prosecutor's highly aggressive, if not unlawful, legal theory," said Matthew L. Levine, a former federal prosecutor who is a defense lawyer in New York, "it is now a crime to 'obtain information' from a Web site in violation of its terms of service. This cannot be what Congress meant when it enacted the law, but now you have it."

What Mr. O'Brien is doing is unlawful. The law was never intended to protect the owners of or direct the behavior of people using social websites.

"Since the story surrounding the suicide became public last year, Mr. O'Brien has discussed with his staff how his feelings as a parent motivated him to bring the charges against Ms. Drew. He alluded to those feelings on Wednesday at a news conference."

It's his own personal interpretation conjured up for his own personal motives. I don't care about Mr. O'Brien or his children. The world would be a much better place without him, his families and the families that he is representing.

No one should have to live in fear that Mr. O'Brien will be able to persecute them with his highly imaginative and evil application of "law".

"Tina Meier, Megan's mother, said in a news conference after the verdict that she hoped Ms. Drew would serve jail time, and that she felt satisfied."

I think that Tina Meier should be charged with child neglect for allowing her under aged child to register on a website in violation of the terms of service. Megan was an unhappy person who lived with a miserable family. It is just coincidence that she committed suicide during the "bullying" episode. The little creep would have done it anyway.

FREE LORI DREW

Woman cleared of MySpace bullying

2008-11-27T12:42:00.000-08:00

Woman cleared of MySpace bullying

An American woman, accused of driving a teenage girl to suicide by bullying her on MySpace, has been cleared of one of the most serious charges against her.

Lori Drew, 49, was found not guilty of accessing a computer without authorisation to inflict emotional distress.

The jury failed to reach a verdict on another conspiracy charge.

She was convicted on three minor counts of violating the website's terms and conditions.

Lori Drew Not Guilty of Felonies in Landmark Cyberbullying Trial

2008-11-27T11:15:00.000-08:00

Lori Drew Not Guilty of Felonies in Landmark Cyberbullying Trial

LOS ANGELES — Lori Drew, the 49-year-old woman charged in the first federal cyberbullying case, was cleared of felony computer-hacking charges by a jury Wednesday morning, but convicted of three misdemeanors. The jury deadlocked on a remaining felony charge of conspiracy.

After just over a day of deliberation, the six-man, six-woman jury acquitted Drew of three felony charges of violating the federal Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, in an emotionally charged case that stemmed from a 2006 MySpace hoax targeting a 13-year-old girl, who later committed suicide

Support Lori Drew

2008-11-27T08:58:00.001-08:00

I am going to collect information about this case and may even organize a group online. I think that the issue should go to the Supreme Court.

My opinion is that by supplying false information the user has rejected the terms of service.

This is the blog of one of the lawyers who worked on the case

"The jury agreed that it is a federal crime to intentionally violate the Terms of Service on a website, and that Drew directly or indirectly did so, but it acquitted Drew of having violated Terms of Service in furtherance of the tortious act. That is, the jury ruled that Drew is guilty of relatively lower-level crimes for violating MySpacs Terms of Service (for being involved in the setting up of a fake MySpace account). It acquitted Drew for any role in inflicting distress on Meier or for anything related to Meier's suicide. The maximum allowed penalty for the misdemeanor violations are one year in prison for each violation, although the majority of federal misdemeanors result in a sentence of probation.

The next step in the case is that the trial judge will rule on whether there was enough evidence for the jury to find that Drew violated the Terms of Service intentionally, or whether the TOS violation was only negligent or reckless or knowing. If the judge agrees that there was enough evidence for the jury to find that Drew violated the Terms of Service intentionally, the case will go on to sentencing for the crime of having violated MySpace's Terms of Service."

volokh.com

Support Lori Drew

techdirt.com

encyclopediadramatica.com

meganhaditcoming.blogspot.com

Welcome to the Lori Drew Blog

2008-11-21T07:36:00.000-08:00

I am in support of the defendant in the just opened "cyberbullying" trial of Lori Drew.

The indictment alleges that Drew and her co-conspirators violated MySpace's terms of service, which require registrants to provide truthful registration information and refrain from soliciting personal information from anyone under 18 or using information obtained from MySpace services to harass or harm other people, among other terms.

If convicted on all four counts, Drew could face up to 20 years in federal prison.

Dead teen's mom testifies in cyberbullying trial

This is a great testimony as to how screwed up the web "community" really is. Should any local court (and in relation to the worldwideweb, even the Supreme Court is local) make laws for this community? I say no. The reason the City of Pootown or the State of Massashitass is making these laws is because they are actual organized bodies. Where can we find that on the Internet?

This is why it is imperative to organize democratically on the web. If laws need to be made for this community, let this community make those laws.

This cyberbullying case is not a case of homicide. The trial is expected to center on the social networking site's terms of service. That's the button that you click when registering that says "I Agree"

What are the issues? What is an agreement? When people sign up for these services do they actually agree to anything? Or do they just click a button to get the account? Can there be an agreement without discussion first? If I am forced to accept the terms in order to get the service, can it be called an "agreement"?

Do the terms of service have the force of law? If I disobey the terms of service, have I broken the law? What law should govern the web? Who should have jurisdiction?

For me this touches the deeper roots of what is wrong with web "community". Where is the agreement between anyone? I don't see it. I see pre-fab agreements that come up when registering for a service but have never been approached by any other individual in the "community" to forge any real agreement. Or when they did, they refused to negotiate the agreement.

These ageements usually state all of the rights that the provider has and all of the rights that the user doesn't have. Do web services betray the public trust by imposing such agreements? I think all roads will lead us back to the issue of "private property".

It may make little difference who owns a service as private property when it comes to writing the rules. This whole system comes down to money and is therefore market driven. It's not about bringing people together. It's about making money.

What if we were to reinterpret the whole system? A platform like Google considers that it is giving me a free service by allowing me to register for a blog. But I feel that the bloggers are doing the service for Google. Blogging drives traffic to their site. So the users should have equal say in the discussion toward any terms of service. Otherwise, they run the risk of losing users.

If the web is market driven, then ultimately it is the providers that must answer to the users.

Obama's Cellphone Account Breached by Verizon Employees

Another major issue is privacy. In the case of the teen suicide, the service provider identified a user who chose to be anonymous. Do these companies have the right to violate the users privacy?

The suicide itself is irrelevant to the issues. I don't like the fact that the issues are being tied to such an emotionally charged circumstance. The implication is that one user's offline actions are the responsibility of another user's online behavior.

There seems to be gross misunderstanding about the way that people want to use the web. There is little that the law says about this but fortunately there is some historical precedence to rely upon in following these legal developments. It might be good to take a closer look at what the web is made of and how different people interpret it's possible uses.