Bill > H7763

This bill creates a new crime under the "Computer Crime" chapter, making it illegal to post a message through any electronic medium, including the internet, without the intended recipient's consent, if the posting is known to cause at least two separate instances of unconsented contact and is intended to cause the recipient to feel terrorized, frightened, intimidated, threatened, harassed, or molested, and if such conduct actually causes the recipient to suffer emotional distress and feel terrorized, frightened, intimidated, threatened, harassed, or molested. Unconsented contact is defined broadly to include various forms of unwanted communication and physical proximity, and emotional distress refers to significant mental suffering. The bill specifies penalties, with a first offense being a misdemeanor and subsequent offenses being felonies, and also clarifies that interactive computer services and telecommunications services are not liable for content provided by others. Additionally, it amends an existing law to make violating a restraining order by committing this new computer crime a felony.