Connecticut computer harassment law

    The law says that "A person is guilty of harassment in the second degree when: . . .

    with intent to harass, annoy or alarm another person, he     communicates with a person by [e-mail] or telegraph or mail . . .     or by any other form of written communication, in a manner likely     to cause annoyance or alarm . . ."

    Conn. Gen. Stat. Ann. sec. 53a-183.     

    Read literally, this might make it a crime for me to respond to a discussion list post with "The person posting that message is an idiot, because ___." Quite likely my message will be seen as being intended to annoy the poster (though it might also have intended to expose his folly to others); and it does indeed seem "likely to cause annoyance."

    I write about this issue (and quite a few others) in a piece that I'm just finishing up for the 1996 Univ. of Chicago Legal Forum.

• Eugene Volokh, UCLA Law <volokh[_at_]law.ucla.edu>