Valleywag: megan Meier

MySpace avoids liability in Megan Meier suicide, victim of terms of use breach

Jackson West — Thu, 15 May 2008 15:20:00 PDT

MySpace's contention that the social network was a victim, and not an enabler, in the suicide of Missouri teenager Megan Meier has paid off. A federal grand jury has indicted Lori Drew on one count of conspiracy and three counts of accessing protected computers without authorization, with each count carrying a maximum of five years. The indictment cited how Drew and other unnamed coconspirators breached MySpace's terms of use by creating a fake account to trade messages with Meier, and "used the information obtained over the MySpace computer system to torment, harass, humiliate, and embarrass the juvenile MySpace member."

The unauthorized-access law has never been cited in a social-networking case, having previously been used by the Justice Department to go after hackers, according to U.S. Attorney Thomas O'Brien. Most importantly, for all the scare reports in the media of MySpace aiding and abetting crime and other moral backsliding, the Justice Department and the FBI sent a clear message that the company is not liable for the behavior of its users outside the site's stated restrictions. (Photo AP/Tom Gannam)

MySpace plays legal victim in 13 year old's suicide

Nicholas Carlson — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 10:00:00 PDT

In October 2006, 19 year old Ashley Grills, posing as a romantically-inclined boy named Josh Evans, sent 13-year-old Missourian Megan Meier a MySpace message: "the world would be a better place without you." Later that night, Meier hanged herself. Now Los Angeles police are prosecuting. Their target? Not Ashley Grills, interviewed by Good Morning America in the clip above. Prosecutors say Grills was just acting on the behest of her employers: Meier's neighbors, Curt and Lori Drew. Granted immunity, Grills will take the witness stand against them. Late last year, it looked like MySpace might face legal trouble for its role in Meiers's death, but after police in Missouri refused to press charges against the Drews, the Fox Interactive company dodged that bullet, positioning itself as a victim of the Drews' fraud. Just like Meier.

Could MySpace face legal trouble over teen suicide?

Nicholas Carlson — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 12:10:45 PST

A year ago, the 13-year-old Megan Meier began an online relationship with another MySpace user named Josh Evans. According to reports, the relationship began with flirtation, but ended in tragedy. Evans's last message to Meier read, "The world would be a better place without you." Shortly after reading it, Megan Meier ended her own life. You could call Josh Evans a cyberbully, except that Josh Evans wasn't real. He was a creation of Meier's neighbors, Curt and Lori Drew.

Now, after a criminal investigation that did not result in charges, the Meiers say they plan ligitation. MySpace might be a target. Precedent, however, suggests it might be difficult for the Meiers to win damages from the News Corp property.

Already this year, a judge in Austin dismissed a case against MySpace brought by a minor who alleged she was sexually assaulted by a 19-year-old she met on the social network. Her lawyers claimed MySpace failed to protect the minor with reasonable safety measures, despite knowing other minors had fallen prey to similar crimes. But the Judge ruled the Communications Decency Act of 1996, which holds that an "interactive computer service" should not be considered a publisher, freed MySpace from the responsibility of policing postings to its site. A similar ruling would clear MySpace from responsibility for the message that drove Megan Meier to suicide.

One case Meiers parents might make is that MySpace doesn't do enough to keep adults from interacting with underage members. But aside from requiring members to register with credit cards, there's little social networks can do to prevent members from lying about their age when signing up.