Online impersonation can be devastating to the victim, even if they’re not doing anything too nefarious with with the stolen identity. Now, thieves could face serious charges, even jail time, under a new bill proposed in California.
It’s been put to Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, with the new bill landing such identity thieves with a $1,000 fine or up to a year in jail, along with the opportunity to sue for compensation.
We all know of Twitter accounts, even Facebook accounts, pretending to be celebrities or other “known” people—even BP!—but if this new law is passed it would give the target a valuable weapon.
https://gizmodo.com/meet-leroy-stick-the-man-behind-bpglobalpr-5553988
Here’s hoping the courts can differentiate between a funny parody Twitter account and the act of actually tarnishing someone’s reputation. [BBC]
Image Credit: Steven Depolo
