Offend Someone on Facebook, Go to Jail in Grenada

This tiny Caribbean nation of Grenada will not stand for Internet trolls. The country's legislators have approved a bill that makes it a crime to offend people through sites such as Facebook and Twitter. According to the bill, the first of its kind in the Caribbean, complaints about offensive comments would be filed with police. A judge would then decide if the message was offensive. Those found guilty could be fined up to $37,000 or face three years in prison.

"We have problems when some use the technology to engage in mischief," says the island's Legal Affairs Minister. "We have to put structures in place to ensure that persons and, in some cases, companies and characters are not tarnished." The measure was approved as part of a broader electronic crimes bill, which also makes it a crime to distribute child pornography, imposing fines of up to $111,000 and a maximum prison sentence of 20 years. (More Facebook stories.)