Stories
Slash Boxes
Comments

SoylentNews is people

posted by n1 on Friday May 19 2017, @02:14AM   Printer-friendly
from the stop-snitching dept.

Submitted via IRC for TheMightyBuzzard

There are all sorts of different ways that websites that allow comments have dealt with trollish behavior over the years, but I think the BBC's new policy is the first I've seen in which the organization threatens that it may contact your boss or your school (found via Frank Fisher).

The new policy has a short section on "offensive or inappropriate content on BBC websites" where it says the following:

Offensive or inappropriate content on BBC websites

If you post or send offensive, inappropriate or objectionable content anywhere on or to BBC websites or otherwise engage in any disruptive behaviour on any BBC service, the BBC may use your personal information to stop such behaviour.

Where the BBC reasonably believes that you are or may be in breach of any applicable laws (e.g. because content you have posted may be defamatory), the BBC may use your personal information to inform relevant third parties such as your employer, school email/internet provider or law enforcement agencies about the content and your behaviour.

To be fair, it does seem to limit this to cases where it believes you've violated the law, but even so, it seems like a stretch to argue that the BBC should be calling your boss to tell on you for being a [troll], even if you break the law.

Source: TechDirt


Original Submission

 
This discussion has been archived. No new comments can be posted.
Display Options Threshold/Breakthrough Mark All as Read Mark All as Unread
The Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not responsible for them in any way.
  • (Score: 0, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Friday May 19 2017, @04:00AM

    by Anonymous Coward on Friday May 19 2017, @04:00AM (#512004)

    I know a lot of people that are wealthy because they own their own businesses. and if they exercise their free speech in a manner that's legal and someone doesn't like it they have enough money to hire the best lawyers.

    Heck, I know a lot of wealthy people that are rich because they trade the stock market. and they invested in housing at the right time. and they make a ton of money off of their tenants and can basically retire already. and they have ordinary jobs and they make more money doing side jobs than their ordinary jobs. and they can afford to comment on blogs, so long as they don't break the law, and can afford the best lawyers to defend themselves.

    Heck, a lot of people have a lot of diversity in how they make their money and a single employer isn't going to single handedly make or break them. Even people without a ton of money can diversify how they make money. They can do things like Uber, Handy, lyft, etc...

    The world is full of opportunity for anyone willing to work hard. Period. If you're not lazy there is really nothing that a single employer can do to unreasonably threaten you. You can find another employer. You can find alternative ways to make decent money from being a programmer that finds individual clients (like small businesses that need websites) to investing your money and doing your homework with respect to where to invest it (ie: which stocks) to fixing people's computer as an independent, to cleaning, to getting a job with a big corporation and, if they have a problem with what you do on your free time you can find a job with another employer. If you are willing to work hard you are valuable to someone (provided you aren't unreasonable).

    If you can't find work the problem is likely you, not BBC contacting your employer. We live in a world full of opportunity and you don't really want an employer that cares so much about what you do on your free time provided you aren't breaking any laws or doing something to give away trade secrets, etc... There are plenty of other employers out there, this is a world full of opportunity from the illiterate willing to clean floors to the genius willing to tutor difficult subjects. You can make money making Youtube videos or music. You just have to apply yourself.

    These nonsense threats are almost laughable and show how petty traditional media has gotten in their thinking and how they're still under the false illusion that they can exercise unlimited control over our lives. Those days are gone. The days that the RIAA/MPAA can dictate who is going to make it and who is not are gone. Whether you make it or not is entirely up to you now and how much effort you are willing to put in.

    Starting Score:    0  points
    Moderation   0  
       Troll=1, Underrated=1, Total=2
    Extra 'Troll' Modifier   0  

    Total Score:   0