Posted by Alison Baitz
AP Photo by Jim Cole
A Utah law that requires sex offenders to reveal their Internet screen names and passwords to the Utah Department of Corrections has been ruled unconstitutional to one man by U.S. District Judge Tena Campbell, according to the Salt Lake Tribune. The decision applies only to Doe.
The man is being referred to as John Doe in court documents. It has been decided that he "retains his First Amendment right to anonymous online speech." The decision is the first of its kind to address the online anonymity rights of sex offenders. The constitutionality of the law remains intact for offenders still on parole.
The Utah state law in question required almost 7,000 registered sex offenders to relinquish some of their Internet information, which included social networking websites' passwords and screen names.
Doe had been "found guilty of carnal knowledge and sodomy of a minor," according to the Salt Lake Tribune, and served 13 months in the corrections system. After serving his time, Doe was not placed on parole or supervised release. He sued in June, saying that he already served time and the law in question violated his free speech rights.
Campbell stated that her decision does not prevent other types of measures to catch criminals online.
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