UK justice secretary Chris Gayling has backed a proposal to quadruple jail time for those who harass others online on site such as Facebook and Twitter, in what would be a huge stance against internet “trolling” in Western society if it were to come to fruition.
Taking part in online abuse or cyber-bullying can currently lead to trolls being slapped with a six-month prison sentence, though a further legislation tabled by Angie Bray MP would see this sentence being raised to two years. This decision has met with both positive reactions and criticisms, with many believing that the pervasive online harassment faced by many over social networking sites should be the subject of of a government crackdown, while others think that it impedes upon civilians’ right to free speech.
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The most high-profile example of a troll being “brought to justice” in the UK was the case of ‘Rileyy69,’ who had taken to harassing Olympic diver Tom Daley on Twitter. Rileyy69 had sent a tweet to Daley reading: “You let your dad down i hope you know that,” in reference to Daley’s deceased father. Dorset Police later arrested the Twitter user and investigated into his online behavior.
Speaking to the Mail on Sunday, Chris Gayling said: “These internet trolls are cowards who are poisoning our national life.
“No-one would permit such venom in person, so there should be no place for it on social media. That is why we are determined to quadruple the current six-month sentence.”
“This is a law to combat cruelty – and marks our determination to take a stand against a baying cyber-mob. We must send out a clear message: if you troll you risk being behind bars for two years.”
While online bullying is an increasingly prominent problem, the act of convicting and sentencing those guilty of taking part in online harassment is far less cut-and-dry than government officials would lead you to believe, what with VPNs and IP scramblers making it difficult to find those who are guilty as “trolls” typically hide behind a veil of anonymity. It’s all well and good proposing larger prison sentences for those who commit cyber-bullying, but how are those individuals going to be rooted out and convicted in the first place? And if they are, is incarcerating someone based upon words they’ve spouted online justifiable?
Even though the act of “trolling” is often morally reprehensible, unless said trolling takes the form of a substantial threat made to an individual, it’s unclear how the passing of this new policy would prove to make a positive impact upon UK internet users.
