What can you can do to make sure an E-impersonation Bill gets passed in your state?

As I stated in my blog, in order to protect yourself  and your loved ones in today’s digital age, while simultaneously giving law enforcement the power they need to prosecute E-Impersonation for cyber-bulling purposes, we all need to work together to get involved and ensure that each state has or passes a similar bill to California’s Penal Code Section 528.5.  There are a few steps that are needed to make this happen and we will keep you posted over the next few weeks as we make progress to make sure EVERY state can protect EVERY person in this country.

So far, only a few states have laws similar to this law in California.

The first step is letting your state legislator know that you have a right to be protected.  Find out who your legislator is by visiting this website and then write him/her a letter or an email (suggested copy is below):
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Dear YOUR LEGISLATOR,

This letter is to respectfully request that you take a look immediately at a law recently passed in the state of California (Senate Bill 1411 reflected in California Penal Code Section 528.5) making “E-Impersonation” a crime.  Very few states have laws like this that protect politicians, celebrities, and victims of cyber-bullying.

There is a growing and concerning rise of individuals using the anonymity of the Internet to harass, threaten and severely annoy people by impersonating them online (E-Impersonation).  This type of behavior can have significant ramifications in the impersonated victim’s life including suicide, depression, helplessness – all of which are avoidable with the right laws and awareness in place.  Politicians and celebrities are not the only victims of such abuse…it can affect EVERYONE including the helpless child who is impersonated online for cyber-bullying purposes.  We are at a stage in our digital century when we critically need additional tools for law enforcement to have in their arsenal to fight this crime.

California’s Senate Bill 1411 makes it unlawful to knowingly and without consent credibly impersonate another person through or on an Internet Web site or by other electronic means with the intent to harm, intimidate, threaten or defraud another person. An impersonation is credible where another person would reasonably believe, or did reasonably believe, that the defendant was or is the person who was impersonated.

As our reliance on the Internet increases, many opportunities for abuse have and will present themselves. The victims of such harassment and threats as of impersonation perpetrated through the Internet are typically left without adequate legal protection to stop this abuse.  California and a handful of other states have rectified this problem by making it a crime to impersonate someone on an Internet Web site or through other electronic means such as email, Facebook, Twitter, and other social media websites.  Violators can not only be prosecuted criminally but the victim can also seek civil remedies.

Senate Bill 1411 received bipartisan unanimous support in both houses of the Legislature in California; and it’s important that we are protected here in our state as well.

There is no doubt that a similar bill here would have support from law enforcement, crime victims, and privacy advocates.

I respectfully request your attention to this matter.

Sincerely,
YOUR NAME HERE

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We can stop E-Impersonation.  Please join us and act now.

Thanks,
Hemu