Cyber crime code could punish online protesters.

• Author: Swartz, Nikki
• Position: Up front: news, trends & analysis

In February, protesters spoke out against a war in Iraq by bombarding the White House and U.S. Senate offices with tens of thousands of e-mail, phone, and fax messages as part 'of what was billed as the first-ever "virtual protest march."

But under a new code signed by European Union (EU) justice ministers, if EU citizens similarly barrage British Prime Minister Tony Blair's e-mail, fax, or phone lines in protest in the future, they may be prosecuted.

The EU ministers recently agreed on laws intended to deter computer hacking and the spreading of computer viruses. They require all 15 EU member states to adopt a new criminal offense: illegal access to, and illegal interference with, an...