The next time you turn on your computer, you may be guilty of committing a crime.

As people write their personal feelings and thoughts in online journals, they may be opening a door for anyone willing to read these “blogs” to find material that may be offensive and harassing, which could lead to disciplinary actions by local law enforcement and university officials.

For example, a student has issues with her suitemate. She logs on to her MySpace account to write in her blog, she calls her suite mate names that would suggest her sexual promiscuity and questions her sexual orientation as an avenue for venting her pent-up anger about the toothpaste cap being left in the sink. All the while, that seemingly innocent rant may be considered a form of online harassment, according to the TCA 39-17-308(a) (1), which is intended to define harassment in Tennessee.

According to this code, harassment has been committed if someone “threatens, by telephone, in writing or by electronic communication, including electronic mail or internet services, to take action known to be unlawful against any person, and by this action knowingly annoys or alarms the recipient.”

“This offense is considered to be a Class A Misdemeanor, which is usually a $50 fine plus court costs and a maximum sentence of 11 months and 29 days,” said Lt. Ray Coleman of Campus Safety and Security. “In order to investigate harassment, students would need to bring us the contents of the letter or threat. We fill out a report and include the recipients’ reaction in order to establish imminent fear,” said Coleman.

In regards to the emotional aspect of online harassment, Dr. Michelle Santiago, a psychologist at the Counseling Center, gives a few clues for you to use whenever determining the tone of any online correspondence. Anything that should be deemed “clearly wrong,” according to Santiago, should include “you telling the person to stop and them not stopping, actions that are inappropriate under any circumstance, actions that are frightening and any type of threat toward you or your family.”

In an article from yesterdays New York Times, a newly pending legislation was mentioned from the federal government that would establish laws regarding online harassment as well as other cyber crimes like cyber stalking. One of the problems discussed in this article was that some civil liberty agencies were concerned with the vague word of “annoy” in the pending litigation. It stated that use of this word “might characterize a wide range of anonymous Internet banter.”

Vishenia Huery, the Student Conduct Officer, stated that there are university policies that could regard issues such as these. In the Student Handbook, section H-3, which lists the student standards of conduct, online harassment could violate standards number 3 and 18. Although, she does say that “every case is handled individually and collectively” depending on the situation.

“E-mail is not a confidential situation. Be careful with what you are putting out there,” said Huery.

Harassment is a difficult word to define because of the personal aspect associated with the person receiving the information. Regardless of whether the person is a complete stranger or a person you know as a friend, if you feel unsure about anything posted about you or a picture of you on the Internet, Lt. Coleman advises you to talk with anyone at Campus Security about the material. Sometimes, if the incidents occur repeatedly and you document it each time, it may go beyond online harassment and be deemed stalking.

Dr. Santiago says the best way to keep yourself from being stalked online or harassed by people you know or those you don’t, “turn your computer off.” She says that way you won’t be exposed to people wishing to do you harm.