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And the award for the most pointless law goes to....
Seriously, this is stupid beyond belief. The nature of the internet is that it's anonymous. If I so choose to annoy someone without disclosing my identity, I am in violation of this law (forgetting for the sake of argument that I am Canadian and therefore the law isn't applicable). However, if I choose not to reveal my identity than it can't be enforced. It's nearly impossible to track someone down, unless one gets the ISP's to co-operate and even that's assuming that they keep their logs longer than the minimum time required, which many don't (I think it's a month, but I'm not current on these things so that could be wrong). By the time you file, track down the ISP and get a writ, the logs may well be purged.
So, let's say I annoy someone, then later choose to reveal my identity. In that case the law is void. It states very clearly that it's only applicable to those who harass anonymously, with no time limits stipulating when such a revelation needs to occur in order to circumvent prosecution.
The whole thing is utterly worthless. Anyone who's kept track of the RIAA's ongoing efforts to prosecute file sharers knows this; they've managed a handful of settlements out of literally thousands of individuals named in their suits. It's just not all that feasible to track someone down unless they make themselves known.
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I wake up in the morning more tired than before I slept
I get through cryin' and I'm sadder than before I wept
I get through thinkin' now, and the thoughts have left my head
I get through speakin' and I can't remember, not a word that I said
- Ben Harper, Show Me A Little Shame
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