Cyber law represents a part of civil and criminal law that concerns the use of computers, and activities performed over the internet and other networks. Besides, cyber law deals with the protection of intellectual property rights, freedom of speech, and public access to information. The cyber law in the United States includes regulations established by Congress, legislature and courts. One of the main function of cyber law is to resolve disputes that result from the wrongful use of computers and the internet. As the law of cyber space, as envisioned by William Gibson in his novel "Neuromancer"1, Cyber law addresses the issues of virtual property and virtual persons. There are two main types of internet "behaviors" that are prohibited by the United States Cyber law; cyber harassment and cyber stalking. While the two situations usually involve many of the same online tactics, cyber stalking is almost always characterized by the stalker relentlessly pursuing hisher victim online and is much more likely to include some form of offline attack. This offline aspect makes it a more serious situation as it can easily lead to dangerous physical contact, if the victim's location is known.2 .
R.I. Gen. Laws 11-52-4.2 defines cyber stalking and cyber harassment as:.
Whoever transmits any communication by.
computer or other electronic device to any.
person or causes any person to be contacted.
for the sole purpose of harassing that person.
or his or her family. For the purpose of this.
section, "harassing" means any knowing.
and willful course of conduct directed at a.
specific person which seriously alarms, annoys, or bothers the person, and which.
serves no legitimate purpose.
The Right to Privacy.
The right to privacy defines the protection of the private realm in the modern age. It has developed into a liberty of personal autonomy, and even though it is not mentioned in the Constitution, the Supreme Court declared that several amendments create The Right to Privacy, and one of them is the 4th Amendment:.