MySpace Hoaxer Drew Bragged About Deadly Prank

'Meet kids where they live: online'

(NEWSER) - Schools that ban teachers and students from social media may think they're keeping classrooms safe from the harassment, bullying and exploitation of social networks, but actually they're missing a chance to harness the tremendous energy kids devote to social media, Nicholas Bramble writes on Slate . By bringing Facebook, MySpace and YouTube into the classroom, teachers can channel this energy toward schoolwork, Bramble says. More»

(AP) - A Los Angeles federal judge has tentatively thrown out the convictions of a Missouri mother for her role in a MySpace hoax directed at a 13-year-old neighbor girl who ended up committing suicide. US District Judge George Wu acquitted Lori Drew of misdemeanor counts of accessing computers without authorization. Wu says his ruling will become final when he issues it in writing. More»

Probation is no deterrent: prosecutors

(NEWSER) - Federal prosecutors are pushing for the maximum 3-year prison sentence for Lori Drew, whose MySpace trickery drove a 13-year-old to kill herself. “Defendant has become the public face of cyberbullying,” prosecutors wrote. “A probationary sentence might embolden others.” But in a presentencing report, probation officers said Drew should serve no more than 6 months, Wired reports. More»

(AP) - A Missouri mother involved in a MySpace hoax on a 13-year-old neighbor girl who committed suicide should be placed on probation for 1 year and fined $5,000 for her misdemeanor convictions, probation officials recommended. The recommendation was included in court documents filed yesterday by Lori Drew's attorney, Dean Steward, who portrayed Drew as out of work and harassed by angry neighbors. More»

Drew convicted on lesser charges of using computer without authorization

(NEWSER) - A federal jury has rejected felony charges against cyberbully Lori Drew, convicting her instead of accessing a computer without authorization, a misdemeanor, the AP reports. The Missouri mom violated MySpace terms by creating a fake teen-boy profile to harass a neighborhood girl, but was found not guilty of using a computer to inflict emotional distress on 13-year-old Megan Meier, who committed suicide in 2006. More»