Dispensing with the notion that physical assaults involve physical proximity is no great leap for law enforcement today. The F.B.I. apparently wants to go even further than the prosecutor in the Maxwell case, who can at least point to an actual, not virtual, instance of sexual penetration. Maxwell was not prosecuted simply for talking to his victim; he was prosecuted for the actions he persuaded her to take. The F.B.I. has suggested that people should be prosecuted for thoughts as well as actions. As Thomas T. Kubic, deputy assistant director of the F.B.I.'s Criminal Investigative Division, testified before Congress in June, ''The F.B.I. fully supports the Department of Justice's view that any legislation affecting the Internet should: 1) treat physical activity and 'cyber' activity in the same way.''

Um americano está sendo julgado por estupro por ter instruído - por telefone - uma menina de dez anos a executar certas ações.

Concordo que o cara está errado e merece ser punido, mas eu achava que estupro era outra coisa. Além disso, o caso parece abrir um precedente muito perigoso.