Article
Don't Pretend to Be Someone You're Not!
"Tell a lie? Me? NEVER! Okay, maybe once in a while ... but they're harmless lies." Fess up. You tell little white lies from time to time. And it's true that some lies are worse than others. But lying about who you are when you sign up for a social networking site can be really serious. Forget being grounded. If you're doing this to harass others, you might actually end up facing a judge in jail! Check out this true story ...
Megan Meier was a 13-year-old girl who committed suicide after being harassed allegedly by a neighborhood mom posing as a cute 16-year-old boy. When Lori Drew (that neighborhood mom) was indicted for the actions that led to Megan's suicide, she was actually indicted for lying about who she was when she signed up for MySpace. While the federal prosecutor for the LA-area (where MySpace is located) couldn't charge her with harassment (Lori Drew lived in Missouri and wasn't subject to his jurisdiction), he could charge her with something MySpace-related (since MySpace is located in Beverly Hills). Since MySpace makes it a condition of using their network that you are honest about your ID when signing up, Lori used their networking without their authorization -- it was equivalent to unauthorized access or hacking! No matter what comes out of the trial, this is a great reminder that honesty counts!
If you decide not to share your real name, or gender, or even your real age online (to keep it more private), that's your business ... as long as it's not done to hurt others. Just don't lie to the networks or pose as someone else online!