The penalty rather depends on why you were banned in the first place. If you deliberately violated the ban then it's equivalent to trespass, notwithstanding the publicly accessible nature of websites.
It's not that I love Craiglist particularly, but the fact is that their website remains their private property, same as any other commercial establishment. They have no obligation to serve people who don't respect their policies.
Look, I've avoided bans on many websites on purpose. You're saying this should be a criminal act? If I get banned from Hacker News, and I make a second account using a proxy, I should get prison time?
> Look, I've avoided bans on many websites on purpose. You're saying this should be a criminal act?
Yeah, I'd say so. They're not your servers. If the person who owns them tells you to stop using them, then stop. They don't owe you anything, so just quit using their stuff. Easy, no?
> If I get banned from Hacker News, and I make a second account using a proxy, I should get prison time?
Why didn't you just go all out and say "the death penalty"? :-) No, I'd think a fine or some community service would be more than adequate.
The only thing an IP ban alone conveys is that that IP is no longer allowed access. It does not by itself convey that that user or even that client is not allowed.
