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It's an interesting question, though. If 1000 people tell one person that they don't like them, and the person commits suicide, then it's reasonable to claim that the group drove them to do it. However, do you prosecute an individual who merely tells someone, "I don't like you?" On an individual basis, it's a weak case. I'm not sure how the law deals with this, or even if there exists any legal principles dealing with how to prosecute actions that are, by themselves, harmless and not illegal (running LOIC may signal an intent to block access, but in the same way that gunning a Pinto on the highway may signal an intent to speed, you're unlikely to be able to break the law).


If the 1000 people did it in coordinated manner with the intent of causing harm to the one person then it would seem like a crime to me. Of course, it's the leaders who should get the severe punishments, but you still have to punish the others too (to a lesser extent). Otherwise you're just saying that it's acceptable to help people commit a crime.

And why are people complaining about the FBI going after people anyway? It's their job to catch (probable) criminals, so they can't really start deciding which ones to pursue. It's the judges and jurys (and lawmakers) who make that decision.




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