Federal Legislation Targets “Swatting” Hoaxes
Summary: Reps. Katherine Clark (D-Mass.) and Patrick Meehan (R-PA) introduced the Interstate Swatting Hoax Act of 2015 in the U.S. House to close what sponsors call a loophole: federal law bars false bomb and terrorist threat reports over telecommunications systems but not other false emergency reports. The bill would prohibit knowingly transmitting false information over internet telecommunications systems with intent to cause an emergency law enforcement response, a practice the lawmakers say targets journalists, academics, domestic violence survivors and celebrities. The article notes many swatting participants are under 18, so most such cases fall to state and local authorities; California's law, effective Jan. 1, 2014, requires convicted swatters to repay incident costs up to $10,000 and allows up to a year in jail.
Key Takeaway: The federal bill cannot reach juvenile offenders, so unless more states pass anti-swatting laws, many of these crimes likely continue unpunished - leaving local agencies to absorb the cost and risk of armed responses to hoaxes.
Read the original at Krebs on Security ↗
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