--- title: "Spreading COVID-19 on Purpose? You Could Be Charged With Terrorism." description: "Politico reports that the Justice Department may charge people who spread the deadly virus intentionally with terrorism charges." date: "2020-03-25" modified: "2020-03-25" authors: - name: "Jon Christian" job_title: "Executive Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/jonc" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/spreading-coronavirus-terrorism" categories: - "Future Society" tags: - "coronvirus" - "the digest" --- # Spreading COVID-19 on Purpose? You Could Be Charged With Terrorism. ![Politico reports that the Justice Department may charge people who spread the deadly virus intentionally with terrorism charges.]() *\Image: Images via Pixabay/Victor Tangermann\* ## All for the Gram The grossness and casual brutality of online prank culture has been on full display during the coronavirus pandemic, with kids pulling stunts ranging from from [licking toilet seats]() to [coughing in the face of the elderly]() in search of viral fame. Now these idiots have yet another reason to think twice: *Politico* [reports that]() the Justice Department may charge people who spread the deadly virus intentionally with terrorism charges. ## Terror State *Politico* obtained [a memo]() by Jeff Rosen, the Justice Department's second-in-command, that calls for a crackdown on intentionally infecting others. "Because Coronavirus appears to meet the statutory definition of a 'biological agent'… such acts potentially could implicate the Nation's terrorism-related statutes," Rosen wrote in the memo. "Threats or attempts to use COVID-19 as a weapon against Americans will not be tolerated." ## Gitmo Hub The Justice Department isn't the only domestic law enforcement trying to curtail ne'er-do-well who are spreading the virus on purpose. In Missouri, for instance, cops [arrested a man]() who filmed himself licking containers of deodorant at a local Walmart and charged him with making a terrorist threat. In other words, YouTubers, drop the camera — the extra views aren't worth ending up with authorities treating you like Al Qaeda. **READ MORE:** [Those who intentionally spread coronavirus could be charged as terrorists]() \[*Politico*\] **More on COVID-19:** *[Even Snopes Has Been Overwhelmed by Coronavirus Misinformation]()* ## Author I'm responsible for editing, assigning, and scouting at Futurism, as well as occasionally writing for the site. That work involves keeping an eye on a wide range of narratives and issues, but over the past few years I've become increasingly interested in how AI is shaping the future of media, the web, and information itself. My day-to-day often involves collaborating on reporting and commentary projects bylined by my colleagues, but I try to find time to do my own reporting as well; stories I've broken for Futurism have been cited by publications including the New York Times, the Washington Post, the New Yorker, Wired, Ars Technica, New York Magazine, the Columbia Journalism Review, Bloomberg, and more. I grew up in Southern Vermont and attended Vanderbilt University. Prior to Futurism, I contributed to outlets including the Boston Globe, Vice, Wired, Slate, the Atlantic, the Outline, Ars Technica and more, and did stints in farming and food service. I currently live in Brooklyn, New York, and in my free time I enjoy pinball, word games, cycling, running, and music production. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()