Cybercrime?

The article "A rape in cyberspace" brings up a number of interesting issues about digital actions, reality, and how virtual actions should be dealt with (and punished). Considering that lamdamoo is largely based on fiction and fantasy, how can actions within lamdamoo be interpreted? Dibbel draws an interesting parallel between real life and virtual life on moo, suggesting the physical realities that may often accompany virtual sex. But do digital actions necessarily reflect any sort of real life intentions or desires? Does Mr_Bungle's rape of two characters represent any sort of desire to commit such actions in the real world or merely a desire to stir up trouble and controversy in a digital space? Perhaps a bit of both. The internet is often viewed through the lens of anarchy. There is little outside regulation on the internet. There are rarely real life consequences for internet actions. Perhaps this is because of just how much any action that occurs on the internet is fictional. Mr_Bungle's rape was essentially fictional, regardless of what connections it has to the real world. This relates to the social networking article by Dana Boyd and the idea of constructing a self within a social networking site. Users create an image for themselves to project to others that, by it's nature and by the conscious efforts of the user, will always be somewhat fictional. It would seem that fiction and the internet are eternally bound to each other. This fictionality is just what makes the internet so hard to regulate. How can any internet action be punished when the actual reality of the action is so dubious? It seems the only regulation that can logically be put into place is that of the community itself. Internet and virtual communities must, for the most part, regulate themselves. Moo users decided the fate of Mr_Bungle. By using a moo or becoming a member of an online community such as a forum, the user must be aware that he is opening himself up to various experiences he may or may not want to have and cannot control. There is a famous theory that goes something like "a normal person with the anonymity of the internet becomes a total asshole." The lack of any real consequences on the internet promotes bad behavior. It's often seen as a space where "anything goes," but it seems that the line has to be drawn somewhere. The question is: where do we draw it?