The first criminal libel charges in the US for abuse over the
internet have been brought against a 16 year old schoolboy. The
teenager, Ian Lake from Milford, Utah, has been accused of making
libellous statements on his web site about classmates, teachers and
his high school principal.
The comments included calling certain girls “sluts”, saying his
principal was the “town drunk” and accusing a female teacher of
being a “man in disguise”. The boy has pleaded not guilty. He is
being defended by the American Civil Liberties Union.
The case raises the question of whether state criminal libel law
will apply to statements made on the internet. In most US states,
there is no law of criminal libel.
It has been pointed out that similar comments about teachers and
fellow pupils are made in schools everywhere, but because they were
made on the internet, and hence universally accessible, the matter
has become criminal.
