With the rise of social media (Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, etc.), there has been a notiaceable jump in online trolling and abuse via this platform.

Within the last few years, certainly in the UK, there have been a few major cases of arrests and sentencing from what people have said over the internet. But there is a fine line between what is classed as a criminal offence.



You may remember the London riots of August 2011 whereby hundreds of people were charged with promoting violence on Facebook and Twitter and some of these were actually given prison sentences. 'Inciting hatred and violence' I seem to remember them putting it, or something along those lines.

Recent news article in the UK: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-23485610

This woman (she has been described as a feminist), campaigned to have a woman on the new £5 British pounds note and she won. She has recieved threats of rape and death from people over Twitter and one man has been arrested.

It is almost as if there has to be a new 'set' of laws, and a new type of law to deal with this ever increasing issue.

So what is your opinion? Do you think people should be arrested and charged for such offences? Or do you think this is against 'freedom of speech'? Just another of our liberties lost? What are the laws, if any, like in your country?

Do some of the messages we receive as a clan, in the form of trolling, warrant intervention from law enforcement?

I think that people should not be allowed to openly threaten other people in these hate threats. For example these recent deaths of teens that killed themselves
Over hate messages they were receiving would be one example of what I mean.

As for trolling it would really depend on what it is. There's a line where it leaves the playful area and enters the "are you a demonic imbecile" area. I think if you cross into the latter would also warrant something to occur but that could be held on clans end in a lil part I guess.

People shouldn't write threats to eachother online. It would be hard to monitor all messages though unless isp's set up a filter for words so if that word is typed etc they would check the message.

With trolling, I read other week a guy on runescape got arrested for "trolling" saying brb gonna shoot my school up! or words to that effect.

This is stupid, I know people shouldn't troll but the government shouldn't be a complete idiots and arrest people for what they say on a game/social site. Now if somebody actually does something they say then yes I do think the government should do something but yet nothing they say has been done...

If you plan a murder but don't do it you still go to jail. If you set up a plan to rob a bank but don't manage to you still go to jail. If you try to commit suicide and fail. You still go to jail.

Aydon you've got to admit some people take it way too far and sadly it seems someone needs to step in and stop it.

Yeh I do agree but It's a little obserd for saying something over a game but I can understand social media a little bit better

If you plan a murder but don't do it you still go to jail. If you set up a plan to rob a bank but don't manage to you still go to jail. If you try to commit suicide and fail. You still go to jail.

Aydon you've got to admit some people take it way too far and sadly it seems someone needs to step in and stop it.

Is attempted suicide still illegal in the US?

But yes, if you plan to commit something as serious murder/robbery via the internet it should be charged as attempted or conspiring murder/robbery. It's interesting to see this happening as some people may joke about such issues but face consequences. I guess sarcasm is difficult to pick up on online.

Quote from: BatwingRobes on July 29, 2013, 14:45:56

If you plan a murder but don't do it you still go to jail. If you set up a plan to rob a bank but don't manage to you still go to jail. If you try to commit suicide and fail. You still go to jail.

Aydon you've got to admit some people take it way too far and sadly it seems someone needs to step in and stop it.

Is attempted suicide still illegal in the US?

As far as im aware, i believe so. Not really in that field of interest so to speak so im not 100% sure but itd been news had the law changed i would think

As far as im aware, i believe so

That's interesting, I thought most countries had decriminalised it. The UK did in the 60s anyway.

I am glad that the law is on the victim's side, as a starting point - that people cannot "hide" behind fake profiles etc to torment, belittle and threaten persons via social media.
The example of persons telling suicidal people to kill themselves is immoral; and yes a lot of law does come from knee jerk reactions to try and protect etc as reactions


Threatening to shoot a school btw is actually still against some forms of peace and public law - and thus is arrestable. which is fair. If he was prosecuted for a small "troll" with no basis in fact, id be highly surprised

The sarcasm point is definitely difficult to pick up online - but i guess once a threshold is crossed it needs to be investigated

The persons involved in inciting people to riot, were indeed handed prison sentences (and or suspended ones), as part of inciting to disturb the peace, to corrupt law and order, public order offences and god i cant even remember the rest - however, it is an interesting and important point to note under these circumstances that ALL prison sentences handed out in regards to these riots were at the absolute maximum under law. very little mercy shown - to act as a deterrent to others

I am surprised that attempting to commit suicide is still an illegal act in the US. the only thing illegal in regards to this in the UK, mostly, is aiding suicide - which comes under a form of manslaughter. And is a fiercely contested debate.

If people do bad things, or are disgusting online etc, i am glad they can be brought to justice and are not untouchable.

Yeah you end up going to a psychiatric prizon for a defined amount of time 'while they try to fix you' as its been described

People shouldn't write threats to eachother online. It would be hard to monitor all messages though unless isp's set up a filter for words so if that word is typed etc they would check the message.

With trolling, I read other week a guy on runescape got arrested for "trolling" saying brb gonna shoot my school up! or words to that effect.

10 YEARS OF JAIL OVER RUNESCAPE!

This explains the story of what kyle said well also read this article:
http://sourcefednews.com/second-teen-arrested-for-sarcastic-video-game-comment/

I am glad that the law is on the victim's side, as a starting point - that people cannot "hide" behind fake profiles etc to torment, belittle and threaten persons via social media.
The example of persons telling suicidal people to kill themselves is immoral; and yes a lot of law does come from knee jerk reactions to try and protect etc as reactions


Threatening to shoot a school btw is actually still against some forms of peace and public law - and thus is arrestable. which is fair. If he was prosecuted for a small "troll" with no basis in fact, id be highly surprised

The sarcasm point is definitely difficult to pick up online - but i guess once a threshold is crossed it needs to be investigated

The persons involved in inciting people to riot, were indeed handed prison sentences (and or suspended ones), as part of inciting to disturb the peace, to corrupt law and order, public order offences and god i cant even remember the rest - however, it is an interesting and important point to note under these circumstances that ALL prison sentences handed out in regards to these riots were at the absolute maximum under law. very little mercy shown - to act as a deterrent to others

I am surprised that attempting to commit suicide is still an illegal act in the US. the only thing illegal in regards to this in the UK, mostly, is aiding suicide - which comes under a form of manslaughter. And is a fiercely contested debate.

If people do bad things, or are disgusting online etc, i am glad they can be brought to justice and are not untouchable.

Yeah the severity of the offences made the news also, bringing up questions of whether the judges were too harsh. Also, lots of people were released early or simply acquitted at the time due to the overcrowding of our prisons. Maybe these social media crimes were seen as less important compared to others? I don't know.

Speaking on the note of suicide, I personally have actually tried to end my own life, and I never have gone to jail. I went to Pine Rest for a few weeks and then was on suicide watch for a while. I haven't done anything like that since, but yeah. I never got any legal threats against me or something in that manner.