Blog posts: criminal law

Troll hunting: forum abuse and the law
Submitted by Alasdair Taylor on Thu, 26/07/2012 - 13:51

A troll is defined in the Urban Dictionary as "one who posts a deliberately provocative message to a newsgroup or message board with the intention of causing maximum disruption and argument". The etymology seems to be disputed. My preferred explanation is that the usage comes - via the Usenet group alt.folklore.urban - from fishing, where trolling is the practice of trailing a baited line behind a moving boat, as in "trolling for mackerel".
Legal area:
criminal law
defamation law
internet law
10 ways to become a cyber-criminal
Submitted by Alasdair Taylor on Sat, 16/04/2011 - 16:00

The great thing about cyber-crimes is that they're so easy to commit. With a computer and an internet connection, you can commit all manner of crimes from the privacy of your bedroom. You don't need shot-guns, bolt-cutters, getaway cars or gangs of desperados. If you follow the instructions in this post, you can be a master cyber-criminal in no time at all.
Legal area:
internet law
criminal law
Content: kinds of illegality
Submitted by Alasdair Taylor on Tue, 12/02/2008 - 08:25

The publication of website content – whether textual, audio, video, or other content – can be unlawful in two main ways. It can breach the criminal law; and it can give rise to civil liability.Breaches of the criminal law may result in prosecution, and a successful prosecution may lead to a fine or even imprisonment.
Legal area:
internet law
criminal law