Criminal charges for Craigslist rant

This is slightly off-topic, but still appropriate to share with you given what I’ve been through with trolls, stalkers, and restraining orders this year:

A Colorado man accused of posting comments about his ex-girlfriend on the Web site Craigslist has been charged under a rarely used criminal libel law.

(…) “Many people convince themselves it’s anonymous,” said Sandra Baron, the director of the Media Law Resource Center, who said criminal libel laws should be abolished. “And, of course, the reach of the Internet is such that once it’s out there, it’s so widespread and so provocative that it inspires people to want to take action to stop it.”

The case against Weichel began when his former lover reported postings about her to the police. Court records cited by The Associated Press say one Web post allegedly written by Weichel suggested the woman traded sexual acts for legal services from her attorney.

When confronted by detectives, Weichel allegedly said he was “just venting,” according to the AP. (read more: Craigslist Rant Ends in Rare Criminal Charges, abcnews.go.com)

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