Drew acquittal is likely to be embraced by Internet supporters
A judge’s decision today to overturn a jury’s verdict against Lori Drew is sure to create a stir among those who think she should be punished for her role in the MySpace-related death of Megan Meier, the Dardenne prairie teen who hung her herself in 2006.
But many Internet supporters are going to be relieved to see the misdemeanor verdicts set aside. It’s not that they want to protect Drew. But rather, they were worried about what those guilty verdicts could mean for the future of the Internet and how you use it.
Among other things, the case could have put a lot more teeth into those “terms-of-service” agreements we so casually ignore whenever signing up for a new service or Web site. Among Drew’s accused crimes was her violation of MySpace’s terms of service, which forbid the creation of fake accounts.
For those who don’t remember, Megan Meier was befriended and later tormented by a fictional boy, Josh, who was created by Drew and others.
The problem, according to U.S. District Judge George Wu is that a guilty verdict could put too much power in the hands of those who write those terms of service agreements.
Wu said this concerned him because it meant that anyone who simply violated an ISP’s terms of service, thereby gaining unauthorized access to its network, would then have committed a misdemeanor. Was this how prosecutors interpreted it and would they be inclined to go after anyone who violated an agreement? he asked Krause. Given that an ISP writes the terms of service, “it basically leaves it up to a web site owner to determine what is a crime . . . and therefore it criminalizes what would be a breach of contract,”
Tim has covered a wide range of topics, including tourism, crime, aviation and gambling, since becoming a reporter in 1990. The Oklahoma native joined the Post-Dispatch in 2007 after spending nine years in Orlando. In his spare time, he's often exploring one virtual world or another. He can be reached at tbarker@post-dispatch.com. 
Lori Drew is still a horrible person. Nothing changes that fact.