Cyberbullying is out of control in the state of New York and throughout our country. Far too often, people hide a keyboard and participate in illegal activities such as libel, defamation, sex trafficking, and other criminal acts without accountability.

Many people are forced to remain victims because the government is slow to recognize the way the internet has changed society. The law of the law should apply to the internet. What is illegal in the world, should also apply to the internet. The New York Assembly has proposed a bill which would require internet companies to remove libelous content from their websites when people refuse to have the guts to post their names. This is a strong bills that could set the standard for other states. It is not curbing free speech (which libel is not protected speech to begin with). You still have a right to voice your opinion and if someone has done something illegal, you have a right to be a whistleblower but you should be held accountable if you are telling lies about a person or entity and cannot back it up with fact. Many internet companies and Tech sites oppose this bill not because they care about "free speech" but because of money. Because of a bad law called the Section 230 Decency Act does not allow companies to directly be sued, many innocent people are victims. This proposed bill would force libelous websites like Formspring, Topix, and others to have some accountability for what they allow on their websites while still allowing people the right to voice opinions. This is a good first start. We ask for you to approve this bill.

In the case of websites like Topix, they care so little about the safety of people, they don't even have the decency to hire a sufficient number of moderators or even require their users to register for verified accounts. Because of the lack of responsibility of users and internet companies, this bill has become necessary.

For those who opposed to this type of legislation, would you feel differently if your child or an adult that you knew committed suicide because of the cowardness of some people who use the first amendment as a crutch.

This is a good start and we beg of you to pass this bill. Remember our freedom ends, where yours begins.