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Web Trolls To Face Two-Year Jail Terms


Still Waters

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Internet trolls who target people with abusive material online will face up to two years in jail under Government plans being set out by the Justice Secretary.

Chris Grayling said he was determined to crack down on trolling with harsh punishments because it was leading to "absolute misery for victims".

He said the venom thrown at people over the internet would never be acceptable in real life.

https://uk.news.yaho...17.html#53sI89S

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This is good news, people can really be pond scum and some of the harassment I have heard about over the internet is really nasty. They need to realize that they are victimizing others for the sake of their own entertainment and be stopped.

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We will control what you see, what you hear and what you say. You will be assimilated.

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I say, dash it all, but can't a man have a hobby these days?

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Who decides what is "trolling" and what is a genuine difference of opinion?...

While I applaud the intent... I fear the practice will be less than acceptable...

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Who decides what is "trolling" and what is a genuine difference of opinion?...

While I applaud the intent... I fear the practice will be less than acceptable...

I think the title is wrong. The example the article used was someone threatening to rape someone in real life. Who considers that internet trolling? Per the article, that's already illegal in the UK, they're just hoping to make it more illegal and make it easier to lay the charge on someone.

The article's title should have been 'Law enforcement wants more power', but then, that wouldn't have been news.

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Who decides what is "trolling" and what is a genuine difference of opinion?...

While I applaud the intent... I fear the practice will be less than acceptable...

These trolling laws are about people who invade others privacy to attack them via facebook or twitter etc. It is really more about blatant bullying behaviour or harassment of an individual. Where someone attacks an opinion another holds is different from attacking a person for holding the opinion and threatening to post nudies of said person all over the internet or telling them and the world they know where they live and they should look over their shoulder.

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Who decides what is "trolling" and what is a genuine difference of opinion?...

While I applaud the intent... I fear the practice will be less than acceptable...

I've made a mess of myself on this sort of topic before, but persistence pays off, so they say...

If your "difference of opinion" consists of saying "ur stuppid and u need to die" or something to that effect, that's most likely trolling. If your difference of opinion is "I disagree, and here's why...", that's most likely not trolling. If it's something like "your a moron, this is whats goin on", that's kind of a gray area, but I would call it not trolling. Rude, but not trolling. As for who decides, I suspect it would be left up to the site moderators or local equivalent.

If bullying is criminalized, trolling should be criminalized. It's exactly the same thing, but you don't have the opportunity to face whoever's trolling you.

Edited by theotherguy
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A troll is an ugly, warty, dirty guy with a big club who lives under bridges and eats Volkswagens. They are not hard to identify -- one knows one when one sees one.

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I see the internet as one big plaza, a worldwide Time Square or Shibuya Crossing where people can meet, discuss, work and learn ect..

You can go about wearing a hoodie not to display your identity and go unnoticed, which is perfectly fine but if you start harrassing and threatening people online, chances are you'll get arrested. The internet is no longer (if it has ever been) some kind of special place, a world apart where the laws do not apply and where you cannot be held responsible for your actions, especially if these are criminal activities.

Edited by sam_comm
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I see the internet as one big plaza, a time square where people can meet, discuss, work and learn ect..

You can go about wearing a hoodie not to display your identity, which is perfectly fine but if you start harrassing and threatening people online, chances are you'll get arrested. The internet is no longer (if it has ever been) some kind of special place - between two world - where the law does not apply and where you cannot be held responsible for your actions, especially if these are criminal activities.

I would imagine the sort of troll who sets out to do psychological harm or put people in fear by threatening violence can be put in jail almost anywhere, and that special laws are not needed. There are however other trolls who are not as malicious -- who just try to get people's goat for some inconceivable, but no doubt extremely immature, reason.

The problem is often one has engaged such a person and then realizes they are only trolling. What a ****ing waste of time.

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Yeah....they need to re-title this legislation (even if it is across the pond)..."trolling" as I know it is not what they are talking about.

A "Troll" can be someone who starts ridiculous conversations for the knee jerk reaction they will get....similar to fishing...aka..."trolling" for a reaction

A "Troll" can be someone who always takes the opposing point of view simply for the sake of having an argument...they leap out from under their bridge to confront people...aka...a "troll"

There are guides for "effective trolling"...best that I can recall, threatening to rape someone in real life was NOT in that guide.

Edited by Jeremiah65
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There are trolls. Then there are just disgusting people. The definition between the two has been muddied by the media and misinformation.

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Internet trolls who target people with abusive material online will face up to two years in jail under Government plans being set out by the Justice Secretary.

Chris Grayling said he was determined to crack down on trolling with harsh punishments because it was leading to "absolute misery for victims".

He said the venom thrown at people over the internet would never be acceptable in real life.

https://uk.news.yaho...17.html#53sI89S

Does this include those paid employees of agencies with initials who man random forums and try to flame posters for thinking the way those posters do? The ridicule factor is so overused by these people that no one pays attention to them anymore and makes the flamer suspect.

Psy-ops is DEAD!!

Edited by regeneratia
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Does this include those paid employees of agencies with initials who man random forums and try to flame posters for thinking the way those posters do? The ridicule factor is so overused by these people that no one pays attention to them anymore and makes the flamer suspect.

Psy-ops is DEAD!!

When one holds controversial opinions and expresses them in an open forum, one should expect differences of opinion. Do you really believe that anyone who disagrees with your views is a paid government agent?

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Does sound rather like heading into Thought Police territory.

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When one holds controversial opinions and expresses them in an open forum, one should expect differences of opinion. Do you really believe that anyone who disagrees with your views is a paid government agent?

No one deserves to be told they are insane or stupid or ignorant. And that is what trolls do.

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No one deserves to be told they are insane or stupid or ignorant. And that is what trolls do.

Of course not. As well, anyone that may disagree with you shouldn't be called a paid government troll.

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What a pity it has come to this. We have created a smartphone generation so immersed in the online world, they can't ignore or reject what they read, or employ the 'off' button.

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I think this has come about because of the recent celebrity thing:

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2014/08/24/twitter-troll-female-male_n_5704389.html

http://ibnlive.in.com/news/isnt-internet-trolling-an-attack-on-the-privacy-of-celebrities/492151-8-67.html

I doubt the law cares about the normal joe, but you can not be seen to do this for one and not for all. You have no right to troll a celebrity because they want to put up naked images of themselves...for the world to see.

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Of course not. As well, anyone that may disagree with you shouldn't be called a paid government troll.

Are you sure of that?

Seems kind of a senstive issue with you. Why?

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still having trouble with the fact that people disagree with you on things, huh, regeneratia?

so, i read the article, and it seems like

a: the stuff they're talking about is already illegal

Cases are currently dealt with under the Malicious Communications Act in the magistrates courts, with a maximum sentence of six months.

and b: this is not about people being obnoxious online. this is about people who are making threats to cause physical harm to other people. this is something that is not accepted in real life. why should it be considered less serious if it's online?

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What a pity it has come to this. We have created a smartphone generation so immersed in the online world, they can't ignore or reject what they read, or employ the 'off' button.

It's not as simple as that, I'm afraid. As a victim of bullying at school I can say that sometimes coming home sometimes felt like the only time I could really get away from it. Now with social media the bullying can happen 24/7, and it is unrealistic to simply say "ignore it" or "don't get Facebook". For example, when I was about 10 years old I developed Hepatitis A, completely treatable and has many causes. I stayed home from school for a while and when I got back somehow the (false) rumour had been spread that the reason I developed HepA was because I didn't wipe my bottom after going to the toilet. Imagine if Facebook or Twitter existed in the 1980's? Even if I didn't go on social media, how many people might have spread the rumour that the kid away from school didn't wipe? Now it's not only a rumour among the kids, but the kids parents, brothers and sisters, playgroup friends.....

Tell a ten year old kid "just use the off button" and see exactly how far you get with that. Things that may seem so clear by making such a statement aren't that easy to employ in real life situtions.

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I think this law is about internet stalking, harassment, threats, intimidation, blackmail and defamation. I don't think petty trolling in a forum such as this would rise to that level and could easily be moderated, in house.

Edited by Hammerclaw
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Yea just report a troll and let the moderators take a look. We need to help them with this without making too much of a pest of ourselves.

I would also say there is trolling that slips under the line and trolling that doesn't. Threats, obscenities, slanders, and so on don't, but just ordinary nastiness is probably tolerable.

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