So last week I started part 1 of my fake profiles series, with the focus being on creating fake profiles for MySpace. Why bring it up again so soon you ask? Well, maybe because the federal courts are looking at how creating a fake profile should be considered a federal crime.

Actually, the extent to which they are going would likely criminalize most (if not all) violations of any website’s terms of service. What this means is that any time you decide to fill out a form online, if you enter any false data or in any other way violate that website’s terms of service, you could be sent to jail.

Well lying is bad right? And when you use a website you should follow that website’s guidlines right? Perhaps. But you sure as hell shouldn’t make it against the law to do otherwise.

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Another day, another court case furthers a dangerous precedent when it comes to who’s responsible for misconduct on the Web. Last time it was eBay that was dealt the blow when they were held accountable for it’s users selling items illegally. This time Google takes a hit as a US judge ordered the Web giant to turn over significant amounts of YouTube user data to Viacom to help determine whether or not Google’s YouTube is profitting more off copyrighted materials than user uploaded clips.

The data Google is to hand over includes records of every video watched by YouTube users along with logs that include various user data (such as IP address and viewing histories). Google must also hand over copies of all videos it has ever taken down. Viacom did ask for more, such as YouTube’s source code and copies of all private videos, but the judge threw those requests out.

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Okay, so it’s probably not a mystery that MySpace is filled with fake profiles, but do you know why those fake profiles exist? Why do people spend the time creating them? Well, with MySpace having such a huge pool of users, it’s the perfect place for some bulk marketing (aka, spamming).

You see, there are a whole lot of internet marketers out there - and I use the term loosely - who are looking for any way possible to spread their links to as many people as possible. These links are usually to affiliate products and websites where the “marketer” gets a cut (either per sale or sometimes per so many visitors). Since MySpace has such a huge userbase and has some marketing friendly features (nameley sending bulletins to friends) it makes for a great source of Web victims.

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It’s a story that’s getting more and more frequent these days as Web sofware companies are increasingly being held responsible for the actions of those who use said software. The latest case is a whopper as a French court ordered eBay to pay $61 million due to fake fashion merchandise being sold on eBay’s auction website.

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Welcome ladies and gentlemen to Net Morality - a site focusing on exposing the seedier side of the World Wide Web. Along with news detailing the internet’s latest hacks and scams, you’ll find my own attempts at shedding light on the lesser known (and morally questionable) “darkside”. From domain squatting and splogs, to blackhat SEO and MySpace, no digital stone will be left unturned as we seek out and uncover the hidden depths of the Web.

Let me throw this out there right now. This is not the place to learn how to further your own devious devices, but rather a place to help equip net users with information that may help them avoid (and maybe even battle against) the shadier side of the Web. Perhaps I may also be able to reveal some new angles on old arguments while helping the more criminal elements out there see the folly of their own ways.

Ok, so that all may sound like just a pipe dream. But everything has to start somewhere right? Well, this website starts now!