Should cyber bullying be outlawed in Maryland?

Today, an Anne Arundel County legislator met with a panel of state legislators to talk about expanding Maryland law to investigate and prosecute cyber bullies.

Republican Delegate Nic Kipke brought along an Anne Arundel County mother and daughter to tell the House Judiciary Committee why cyber bullying should be outlawed.

The mother said that a My Space posting written by one of her daughter’s classmates made her want to “throw up” when it appeared last summer. When she contacted the Internet Crimes Division of the State Police, the mother was told they could not do anything because no crime was committed.

Now it’s up to the House Judiciary and Senate Judicial Proceedings Committees whether to pass Senate Bill 194 and House Bill 509. The bills have differences in the permitted age of the victims and the maximum penalties. Similar legislation failed to pass the General Assembly last year.

Republican Delegate Nic Kipke says this “silent problem” is behind suicides in Maryland and throughout the country. He says this legislative step, inspired by the suicide of a 13-year-old Missouri girl who was harassed online, would protect people from getting harassed on networking Web sites and message boards.

Lori Drew, the woman charged in the cyber bullying case involving teenager Megan Meier, was convicted of a misdemeanor, as she violated MySpace’s terms of service, which doesn’t allow people to create fake accounts. Jurors ruled that there wasn’t enough evidence to convict Drew of felony charges.