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In the UK, Internet trolls could face up to two years in jail under new laws, Justice Secretary Chris Grayling has said. He told the Mail on Sunday quadrupling the current maximum six-month term showed his determination to "take a stand against a baying cyber-mob". Mr Grayling was speaking days after TV presenter Chloe Madeley suffered online abuse, which Mr Grayling described as "crude and degrading". She has welcomed the proposed laws but said social media should be regulated.
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Internet Trolls in UK Face up-to Two Years in Jail under New Laws
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(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday October 20 2014, @03:58PM
There are already libel and slander laws. This is in reference to trolls. Trolls are intentionally inflammatory to get a response. The only way to fight them is not to feed them. Even with all of these laws, anyone can use intentionally inflammatory language anyway.
'Is Chris Grayling a pedophile?'
'Has Chris Grayling been beating his wife?'
And so on. Even though those statements are in the spirit of what he is trying to stop, putting people in jail for those sorts of words would be a horrible thing. No one could say anything bad about anyone, or anything particularly good about anyone if someone else does not like them (i.e. 'The neo-nazis aren't so bad, they just yell at people instead of genocide. Clearly better than the old Nazis.'). It would all be considered this new nebulous version of trolling or 'crude and degrading' speech that they are trying to stop. It clearly is not the right action. What is the right action is to ignore the comments if they upset you so much, including leaving social media. There is no victim-punishment with that, because there is no clear victim in cases that are mere trolling and not outright harassment. Is it wrong to expect atheists to leave a church if they are offended by what the priest is saying? Clearly not. So why is it wrong for people to leave other areas if they do not like what other people are saying.