There are all kinds of laws on the Internet; good, bad, and some that are just plain weird. Today we will focus on the strange but true laws of the Internet. These three laws come from all over the world and can really make you shake your head in amazement at the sheer insanity of it all.
# 1: It is illegal in the state of Tennessee (USA) to post or send “distressing” images over the Internet.
Yes, you heard that correctly. As of mid-2011, it is illegal to “transmit or display an image” anywhere online that could (yes, probably) “scare, intimidate, or cause emotional distress” to anyone who views it. Yes, anyone, regardless of whether or not the person in question was the target of the image. This takes the crown for the most ridiculous internet laws ever enacted! Under this law, anyone, from anywhere in the world, can view an image, and regardless of what that image represents, or if the person who uploaded the video had an ulterior motive for posting it, if the image can be traced back to its user, they could face up to a year in jail and more than two thousand dollars in fines.
# 2: It is illegal to own an “unregistered” modem in Burma
The Burmese government takes the Internet very seriously … so much so that it has absolute dominance over Internet access throughout the country. Internet access is limited by hardware and software restrictions, that is, unregistered modems. Visitors from out of the country can bring a single laptop with them, but it will have to be declared upon arrival, and it is safe to assume that every mouse click you make with it is being carefully watched.
# 3: In Uxbridge, Ontario, it is illegal to have an Internet connection faster than 56k!
This is a popular online favorite and can be validated in various places. This is one of those rare cases of severely outdated laws that are still technically applicable. It’s funny to think of a place where it is illegal to have an Internet connection that is faster than dial-up! Of these three strange Internet laws, this one has to win the prize for the most absurd.
And these are just the tip of the iceberg; There are so many other weird but true internet laws on the books around the world that make many people sit back and wonder what the heck these legislators were thinking when they wrote them and turned them into laws.
