4 ms·
>At least in the U.S., lying by itself cannot be made illegal, as a violation of the First Amendment. This isn't true. False statements of fact are a major exc
by alecdbrooks 13y ago
>At least in the U.S., lying by itself cannot be made illegal, as a violation of the First Amendment.
This isn't true. False statements of fact are a major exception to the First Amendment [0].
Besides perjury, you can prosecute people for defamation or libel. Usually it's a civil matter, but there's also criminal defamation. Finally, as WildUtah mentions below, making false statements is a crime.
[0]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/False_statements_of_fact https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/False_statements_of_fact
- rayiner 13y agoI wouldn't say those exceptions mean that you can make "lying by itself" illegal. For example, perjury is limited by fact that it has to be in the context of a judicial proceeding under oath. Defamation on issues of public concern has an "actual malice" requirement. Fraud, of course, has the additional element of some financial transaction or gain.