So where are the police in all of this?
Are you telling me I can send an email threatening mass murder to whomever I want and there are no consequences.
We've seen kids thrown in jail for indirect comments on Facebook, surely this is more tangible.
Are you telling me I can send an email threatening mass murder to whomever I want and there are no consequences.
We've seen kids thrown in jail for indirect comments on Facebook, surely this is more tangible.
So the answer seems to be: pretty much. Threatening someone online is highly illegal [18 U.S. Code § 875 (c)], but prosecution is rare.
[1] http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-intersect/wp/2014/10/...
Do you think the police are being ignored and not trusted in cases of online violence? Perhaps this is why some victims don't follow what I would imagine to be the police advice to not publicise the threats against them.
Why would anyone announce a premeditated murder before it really happens?
ISIS does it with Westerners on a near daily basis these days. The IRA would generally phone in bomb threats in advance of bombs. I'm sure there are other examples.
> Why would anyone announce a premeditated murder before it really happens?
Intimidation. Do it once and the next time you threaten to kill someone if they don't do what you want they're a lot more likely to take you seriously.