When the Law Steps in: Cyberbullying

This just in -- the law may be stepping in to take care of a problem that has plagued social networking sites since their creation: "cyberbullying."

According to the proposed bill, "harassing or intimidating someone by text message, e-mail or posts" would now be considered a crime. This comes after the recent suicide of a 14-year-old girl in January who was bullied online for months.

The proposal of this bill suggests what has long been argued in discussions of ethical obligations of corporations may be true.

Is it the responsibility of the law, and only the law, to maintain an ethical standard in society?

According to Milton Friedman, businesses have no "corporate social responsibility" beyond earning profits and following the law. If this is true, it is essential that the law keep up with society.

In the case of cyberbullying, the law was too late. Had Facebook or Myspace had the social responsibility to monitor their content, instead of provide a forum for harassment and bullying, maybe things would be different.