Can I go to jail for using a fake name online?

Whether for Facebook accounts, Xbox Live, or a pointless survey that your friend asked you to fill out, using a fake name online in any capacity could get you arrested. Moreover, you could be charged with the federal crime of hacking, which is punishable for between 5-20 years in prison.

Can you get in trouble for using a fake name?

“If a person assumes a fictitious identity at a party, there is no federal crime,” the letter says. “Yet if they assume that same identity on a social network that prohibits pseudonyms, there may again be a CFAA violation. This is a gross misuse of the law.”

Is it bad to use a fake name online?

A fake name is a weak and often temporary privacy protection. Most people aren’t using pseudonyms to hide anything as awful as violentacrez, but they may still be posting things under fake names that could damage their relationships or their careers if attributed to them.

Is it illegal to use another name on social media?

Internet users who create fake profiles could face criminal charges, according to new guidelines. People who use social media accounts under other names to harass and attack others should be charged, according to the Crown Prosecution Service.

Is having a false identity illegal?

California Penal Code 470b PC makes it a crime to possess or display a fake ID for the purpose of deceiving or defrauding another person. This offense is a wobbler, meaning prosecutors have the discretion to charge it as a misdemeanor or a felony. The maximum sentence is up to 3 years in jail or prison.

Can I get in trouble for making a fake Facebook page?

In California, for example, a new law makes it a misdemeanor for someone to make a fake Facebook profile of a real person if the purpose of the fake profile is to harm, intimidate, threaten, or defraud. Conviction could result in up to a year in jail and a fine of $1,000.

Can you lie about your identity online?

Marketing Vox has called the decisions a watershed ruling, stating: “In addition to casting a fresh tint on computer fraud and abuse, the ruling suggests lying about one’s identity on the internet could be considered a prosecutable crime.”