Once again, the state of California is out in front of the country with cutting-edge online legislation. In this case, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed into law a bill that makes phishing a civil offense.

In many ways, phishing violates any number of fraud laws, but it's good to see it being put so explicitly into law. I'll withhold final judgment until I've had a chance to read the law in detail, but overall, I think this is a good step.