Washington - A bill introduced in the U.S. House would increase penalties on violent crimes where the acts have been videotaped by the perpetrators and posted online.

Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-Fla.) introduced the Web Video Violence Act this week.

"The recent trend of posting videotaped attacks onto websites like MySpace is especially disturbing since these videos are clearly intended to further humiliate the victims as well as spread fear and intimidation," Diaz-Balart said.

The bill comes in the wake of a much-publicized incident last week in New York, where three high school girls videotaped themselves assaulting another girl and then posted the video on YouTube and MySpace.

Diaz-Balart's proposed legislation would penalize states that fail to enforce the law by withholding as much as 10% of federal money earmarked for law enforcement.

Related Links:
http://tinyurl.com/28yz3g (Diaz-Balart press release)
http://tinyurl.com/yvaje5 (CNET)