Internet trolls and getting caught

[Gabe]

In the UK internet trolls and revenge porn are now crimes. Using the internet to attack people can result in a conviction and jail time.

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/internet-trolls-to-face-2-years-in-prison

Hopefully people will understand that it is not harmless and can cause harm, just because they cannot see it doesn't mean it can't happen.

Internet troll jailed for posting vile messages about murdered teacher Ann Maguire on Facebook - Mirror Online

Here the troll offended the family of the victims, so hopefully people will think twice before they post nasty comments.

 

[bala]

ahh..We can't get judgmental about trolls or any obscene msgs as u said.Seconding my thoughts on this "just because they cannot see it doesn't mean it can't happen."
but honestly,how can it be a crime to express feelings or troll online.??

 

[thegrey1]

Just sounds like more political correct nonsense to me. If you don't like something, don't read or watch it. If someone offends you, stay away from them. Part of life is being offended. I'm not referring to bullying incidents, where a person can't escape from their tormentor, like at school, etc. I just don't see why people feel they have rise up and take arms every time some vile person offends them. Can't we just "consider the source" anymore?

 

[lushlala]

I do have to say I don't like the way internet trolls can really make someone's life miserable. It's not face to face, but it is cyber bullying; and some people are just not equipped to deal with it and don't have the foresight to just IGNORE them, lest it gets uglier and uglier. I have personally encountered a couple of them, where I was on the receiving end of the abuse. I have found the best way to deal with them is to rise above it, IGNORE them and walk away from it. You simply have to develop thick skin and not entertain them, because the minute you do that is the time they tear you apart. That's what they're about; they want to bring you down to their level and shred you to pieces while at it.

 

[Shimus]

I like they're taking a step towards the right direction, but this feels excessive. Maybe warnings. Maybe shutting off said peoples internet. Censorship is bad, though, and I have a hard time advocating it. Just like this situation, I agree with the above posts that being offended is just part of life. You have to learn to rise above or deal with it properly. This seems to be a misuse of "properly" but they have the core idea right, anyways.

Just think of it from the families end. They had to watch/hear about it, then they have see stuff online about it. If it can be a sue-able offense, then it should be dealt with (deformation of character, slander, etc) but each country has their own way to go about it.

 

[dyanmarie25]

Well, nowadays, people (netizens) somehow tend to abuse their freedom of speech to the extent that they're sort of cyber bullying others and making fun of serious cases. I am actually a bit in favor of this new policy/law.

 

[Gabe]

It goes into the laws of defamation, even if you ignore it what about potential clients or the parents of your children. If how other perceive you as in a loss of reputation then it can damaged a person's life and career. I am all for a deterrent, but as most people who do this probably don't even understand the meaning of the word, it's hard to explain to someone what they are doing is immoral. The recent case of the ex boyfriend who trolled his ex on Facebook with threats was sentenced by the Supreme Court.

A quick, jargon-free explainer to the Supreme Court case that will decide the limits of free speech online - The Washington Post

Elonis v. United States - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[oraclemay]

I agree, attempting to make someone else's life miserable whether it be in reality or the internet does not make any difference. It is defamation and bullying and should not be tolerated. Anyone who does this should be executed! Ha, now that will get them talking!

 

[JoanMcWench]

The revenge porn I can understand. Especially when teens are doing this sort of thing. Which when distributed becomes child pornography. I can understand charges for things like that. I can't understand charges for internet trolls. Stop making it seem like garbage that comes out of people is a crime. Pretty sure I've mentioned this before but there's not enough room in all the prisons in the world to house them.

 

[missbishi]

I agree, attempting to make someone else's life miserable whether it be in reality or the internet does not make any difference. It is defamation and bullying and should not be tolerated. Anyone who does this should be executed! Ha, now that will get them talking!

How do you reckon we should execute them? I would favor strapping them into a chair and having their eyes forcibly kept open, like that scene in "Clockwork Orange" whilst showing them the worst that Facebook has to offer. All the grotesque pictures of kids covered with half chewed food and the "first time on the potty" pics, all the PDA's, all the passive agressive status updates that people make until their head explodes with annoyance.

 

[Rainman]

Just sounds like more political correct nonsense to me. If you don't like something, don't read or watch it. If someone offends you, stay away from them. Part of life is being offended. I'm not referring to bullying incidents, where a person can't escape from their tormentor, like at school, etc. I just don't see why people feel they have rise up and take arms every time some vile person offends them. Can't we just "consider the source" anymore?

People need "protection" of some kind. If someone accuses you of having committed some vile act you can sue that person if you know him/her for defamation. If inflict emotional pain on someone that person, if they so desire, can sue you for causing them emotional distress especially if they harm themselves or attempt to.


I don't see why netizens should have special privileges. I'd like to see more trolls sent to jail, fined, etc.

 

[Diane Lane]

It's bad enough when it all takes place online, but in many cases, the trolls take it to real life as well. We've all seen stories of kids harassing classmates both on and offline, but adults do it, also. I've seen some crazy things over the years, and have been on the receiving end, as well. I've seen people stealing others' children's pics and claiming them as her own, in an attempt to collect funds, people calling CPS on others, reporting people to the IRS, etc. I think some feel anything goes online, and that they will never be caught. I'm not generally a fan of censorship, but I do think the most egregious cases must be addressed, and serve as examples, to teach others that there are limits to what is acceptable, and what will be tolerated.

 

[FuZyOn]

It's good to see that someone is finally looking into internet abuse and finally making a stand for it but I think that this is a step into internet censor which I don't agree with.

 

[Gabe]

It crosses the boundaries of the laws of defamation if people are named, so just because it's online doesn't mean it's illegal, but is harder to trace. It's no different from a newspaper or website writing an article about someone that is untrue. If it names someone on social media or a forum then it is in the public and as a result is liable for legal action.

What people tend to think is that because they use an alias it doesn't matter. As long as it can be proved that the content was sent by someone and written using their account they are liable. The issue then is more of a jurisdiction one when it's global.

 

[Onionman]

Trolls are just vile. They are simply cowardly bullies who hide behind their keyboards ruining other people's lives. And they've been directly and indirectly involved in people self harming. It's just a sad element of social media and the internet age. The sooner stricter regulation come into play, the better.

 

[Whitewolf2578]

Saying you are going to murder someone is pretty bad, but then again I am pretty sure we all troll online. Most do it because they would rather just talk negative about someone without being in front of them. I do it sometimes on online games, but it is more of fun trolling then actually trying to threaten someone. Revenge Porn sounds kind of weird though. Maybe people should start making porn videos and sending nude photos to one another. I wouldn't mind someone sharing a vid I made with a partner, become famous.

 

[Philosophydaddy]

I agree with Joan. Revenge porn can cross the line in multiple different ways. So the ban on that is justifiable. The ban on trolling on the other hand is just a bunch of political correct BS. Some dumb troll starts talking shit, just ignore them. There is a reason that people say "don't feed the trolls." It encourages them. Heck, I'll bet a bunch of UK trolls are laughing their behinds off at the idea that the government is so offended by them that they made a law against it.

Another this is what's to stop someone on Facebook from the US to troll someone in the UK? Is the UK going to demand extradition? Probably not. I don't know, this one just kind of rubs me the wrong way. A little totalitarian to me.

 

[IshieVonDyson]

I’m of two minds on the illegality of trolling as well. Banning revenge porn, sure; as previously stated there are certain boundaries that revenge porn could potentially violate. But internet trolling? On the one hand, I appreciate the idea that online abuse is being looked into more closely. Yet I’m not sure if it should be classed as a criminal offense. Does seem to cross the line into censorship. It also makes me wonder what exactly could be defined as trolling, and how easy it might be for people to accuse others of it.

 

[Gabe]

Saying you are going to murder someone is pretty bad, but then again I am pretty sure we all troll online. Most do it because they would rather just talk negative about someone without being in front of them. I do it sometimes on online games, but it is more of fun trolling then actually trying to threaten someone.

Most people don't troll online because they are responsible and you can be tracked down. Why would it be fun to make someone feel bad and be mean to them? I'm a great believer of karma, if you put out bad thoughts then they will find a way back to you.

Maybe in online games people accept it, but there are cases where online gamers have taken offense, tracked them down and gone to their houses and stabbed them. Do you really want to take that risk in case someone is a psycho?

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/wor...ine-counter-strike-character-article-1.447608

Online gamer is stabbed 22 times by his friend after Xbox chat turns sour | Daily Mail Online

 

[Gabe]

I’m of two minds on the illegality of trolling as well. Banning revenge porn, sure; as previously stated there are certain boundaries that revenge porn could potentially violate. But internet trolling? On the one hand, I appreciate the idea that online abuse is being looked into more closely. Yet I’m not sure if it should be classed as a criminal offense. Does seem to cross the line into censorship. It also makes me wonder what exactly could be defined as trolling, and how easy it might be for people to accuse others of it.

As the internet is global, imagine someone defaming you and you didn't know about it and it ruined your chances of a job or ruined a relationship? How would you feel? Consider someone writes something nasty and untrue about you because you got a job they wanted or their boyfriend left you for them, is that right or fair? To troll them and follow their social media accounts and ruin their reputation? Threats are a criminal offense if they can be proven to be valid, so is it worth taking a risk that someone is either vindictive or mentally unstable?