Legislation

Yet another problematic part of the Attorney General’s package of computer crimes legislation made it a crime to use “the name or persona of another person” to create a web page, send an e-mail or otherwise post on the internet without the person’s consent, including the name of elected officials.

In May, the House overwhelmingly approved legislation to protect the freedom of political speech. The legislation repealed a section of law that is largely regarded as unconstitutional, as it prohibits the distribution of anonymous political literature.

In March and April, the ACLU testified before the Senate and House Judiciary committees, respectively, that the legislation’s overly broad definition of “indecent materials” would encompass award-willing films containing full frontal nudity, art pieces, and even sex education texts.

In March, the ACLU testified before the House and Senate Judiciary committees in opposition to legislation addressing the electronic dissemination of sexually explicit material, often referred to as “revenge porn.”