Ah, social media. The hallowed place of many memes and jokes and mates and would-be mates and also a whole bunch of trolls who have precious little else to do but be horrible. Not just horrible online, but trolling in a way that could seriously impact the receiver in real life.
Luckily, the knuckle-draggers of the world - well, at least, the UK - will now face retribution as new guidance has been issued from the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP). The new set of rules deals with everything from trolling to sexting to mocking up ‘humiliating’ images of people on Photoshop.
The new policies will see the following made prosecutable offences:
**1. Doxxing **
This means revealing someone’s private information such as phone number, bank details or address, in a bid to harass them. Basically what Rob Kardashian did to sister Kylie Jenner after Kylie refused to invite Rob’s fiancé Black Chyna to her own baby shower.
**2. Virtual mobbing **
This is when people encourage loads of others to pile in on someone, as part of an online harassment campaign. So a bit like whenever Dapper Laughs retweets a woman who’s criticised him and calls her an idiot. We’re sure he’ll not be continuing that sort of behavior.
**3. Hashtag attacks **
There are hashtags, and then there are hashtag attacks, which encourage harassment of a particular target. Could horrible hashtags about Kim Kardashian or Theresa May be included here? Remember all those hashtags about David Cameron following the publication of - unproven - allegations about him and a pig’s head? Should something similar happen again, and a resultant hashtag be created, could he/she/whoever allegedly fingered a rhino horn press charges? We’ll see…
4. Baiting
This means trying to get someone to react by e.g. calling them certain horrible names or posting photoshopped images of them in all manner of gross situations
**5. Sexting **
Obviously #notallsexts, as sometimes these can be made in a consensual and caring environment. But when it comes to people under the age of 18 sexting one another, the new guidance says it's likely to not be prosecutable. After all, why should young people be criminalised for making sexual images of themselves? That said, exemptions will be made should the sexts be brought about via exploitation, grooming or bullying.
And there you have it. It’s a common myth that trolls wouldn’t say in real life what they say online. The truth is, street harassment and hate crimes are both on the up. On a positive note, people are being encouraged to speak out about hate crimes, to report them and to hold people accountable for their gross actions. But the difference between online and IRL hate is that, when abuse is committed online, there is a digital trail of what has been said and done. With all this evidence available, perhaps there’s a better chance for more trolls to be prosecuted. As DPP Alison Saunders put it: ‘Social media can be used to educate, entertain and enlighten - but there are also people who use it to bully, intimidate and harass.’
‘Ignorance is not a defense and perceived anonymity [on social media] is not an escape. Those who commit these acts or encourage others to do the same can and will be prosecuted.’
As for people just doing it for the lols? The communication or post must be, according to The Times, ‘more than offensive, shocking or disturbing, more than satirical, iconoclastic or rude and be more than an expression of unpopular or unfashionable opinion, banter or humor, even if distasteful.’
If everything goes the right way, trolls are going to die out. And no, in case you want to report me for trolling, that’s not a threat. It’s the truth!
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This article originally appeared on The Debrief.