We understand that the governments of the world are a little behind on this whole “internet” thing, what with trying to censor it and pass laws that allow people to shut down a site in the blink of an eye and all that, but you’d think that they would at least be aware that prosecuting over the Terms of Service on a website is, well, pointless.
To be fair, it’s not because they want to throw SIFs in jail; it’s because they want to throw Lori Drew, the horrible person who drove thirteen-year-old Megan Meier to suicide using MySpace, in jail, but the judge said their basis for doing that, the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, unfortunately doesn’t extend to violating website terms of service.
The problem is, well, it would mean that lying about your name, your weight, your job, your marriage, etc. would be a crime. It would essentially turn the entire internet into something completely privacy-free and erase the idea of being anonymous online. So we’re sure Zuckerberg is jumping for joy and squealing like a little girl at the idea, but what happens when you forget to update your weight on your dating profile, or change your job on your Facebook?
So, alas, it’s a bad idea. But at least this time it’s for a good cause instead of the RIAA whining again, so there’s that.