What do you think of the new law making the sending of annoying, anonymous emails a federal crime?

Question

Annoying someone via the Internet is now a federal crime.

President Bush signed into law a prohibition on posting annoying Web messages or sending annoying e-mail messages without disclosing your true identity.

Violence Against Women and Department of Justice Reauthorization Act of 2005, H.R. 3402, titled "Preventing Cyberstalking" and numbered as Section 113, which was just signed into law, now brings the reach of Section 223(a)(1)(C), quoted above, home to the Internet.

Specifically, Section 113(a)(3) provides that Section 223(a)(1)(C) applies to "any device or software that can be used to originate telecommunications or other types of communications that are transmitted, in whole or in part, by the Internet.

The Communications Act provides for fines and imprisonment of up to two years for violations. Thus, taken to a logical extreme conclusion, it is possible that a person who makes a Web posting or who sends an email that is intended simply to "annoy" someone else while not disclosing his or her true identity, could be subject to fines and jail time.

Answer 1

I would like a link to the law, please, to get the facts of this.
Then I will comment, once I review and know it's true, and the specifics.

Answer 2

What is the definition of the "annoying" messages. The ones we receive in our e-mails are junk mail and truly annoying. I think that may be what he's talking about. If so, it's about time.

Answer 3

The problem is probably in the interpretation of "annoying". If it isn't specific in what is covered, then it's too broad.