R.I.P. Internet Trolls?

[Wintermute]

And waiting until AFTER the event in question happenes hardly discourages people.
Prevention is key...reaction though? Damage is already done.

Ah yes, so why put people in jail for murder? The damage has already been done.

You're equating Murder to Internet Trolls?

I get the point you're trying to make but that's a pretty drastic comparison even by my standards.

[Kerberoz]

Ummm I plead the First...

[Kooldac]

In essence this sounds good but I'm going to take the right-wing approach. This kind of sounds like the first step towards something larger in terms of policing what we view on our computer monitors. Lets get a few more of these incidents in the article and it'll be easier for people to pass this along as something we 'need'.

[Ishido]

Didn't they pass a bill about "internet anonymity" some time in the past in an effort to do the same thing?

[Kaylia]

People killing themselves because they can't handle the average malicious asshole which the world is run by is cleaning out the gene pool.

Then I supose it's a good thing when a kid who got abused during his childhood kill himself? I mean, why would society want this weak DNA. Natural selection argument is retarded when you bring him for very specific case that isn't even, and wouldnt affect the gene pool at all.

I doubt many people kill themselves after a forum arguments, but online harassment go far beyond the simple "you phail" or "ur ugly" at time.

[CMMeast]

People killing themselves because they can't handle the average malicious asshole which the world is run by is cleaning out the gene pool.

Then I supose it's a good thing when a kid who got abused during his childhood kill himself? I mean, why would society want this weak DNA. Natural selection argument is retarded when you bring him for very specific case that isn't even, and wouldnt affect the gene pool at all.

I doubt many people kill themselves after a forum arguments, but online harassment go far beyond the simple "you phail" or "ur ugly" at time.

Personally, I agree, but we live in a lawsuit happy community. It would only be matter of time before a lawyer wins a case based on some bullshit internet trolling causing 'emotional distress/harm.'

[Nyima]

That's right, people. Other people's emotional fragility and social incapabilities are our problems now. We are swiftly breeding a frail, reclusive, and disease-ridden human race. Yay.

Well the way we are going right now we're creating a hateful callus human race so which one is better?

[Wintermute]

Personally, I agree, but we live in a lawsuit happy community. It would only be matter of time before a lawyer wins a case based on some bullshit internet trolling causing 'emotional distress/harm.'

This is really my concern.

What even constitutes as 'emotional distress/harm' nowadays anyway?
Everyone's different and everyone reacts to things differently so it would be difficult to prove.

Furthermore how would anyone even provide evidence?
Chat Logs, system Caches, Internet History...with enough IT/Computer know-how they can all be edited. Evidence would be throw out in droves and cases rendered null and void since anyone could manipulate the evidence.

Money wasted and nothing solved.

Furthermore if this ever took off what's to stop Governments from going further?

Hell, why wait, why just not pull a China and block half the fucking 'net now and then so we can control the propaganda that people are exposed to.
Then take the other half and wage a crusade against it because it's ruining the population.

[TacoTaru]

Good fucking god. Because it's not like there's cord on the back of your modem that can disconnect you from the fucking thing right? Then all the internetz and it's hurtful misdoings will vanish into oblivion from in front of your eyes.

[Kaylia]

Personally, I agree, but we live in a lawsuit happy community. It would only be matter of time before a lawyer wins a case based on some bullshit internet trolling causing 'emotional distress/harm.'

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought lawsuit were for civil law, not criminal.
Not saying that someone who is found guilty can't be sued, but you need to do something people consider a crime in the first place.

While I agree the laws system isnt perfect, I don't think anyone would be found guilty for causing emotional distress unless you do some major harassing/stalking, intrusion in private life and the like.

[Masterofshade]

While it's difficult to find a path between the Socialist Democrats and the Religious Reich, this is very clearly an affront to our rights. Everyone has every right to call someone else an asshole, a dick, a cunt, or what have you.

This really does appear to be a conscious attempt at limiting our rights and freedoms. If they really wanted to fix this, they should make a broader law. Something to the tune of "Conscious harassment/abuse with the intent of causing the person to hurt themselves, or hurt others" or something like that. A lawyer would have to prove intent, but a lot of laws are like that. One that comes to mind is the difference between a good Samaritan accidentally killing someone, and a murderer.

Limiting the things we can say EVER is criminal, and a debasement of our first amendment rights. I preserve the right to say "Fuck you, you worthless dried up diseased cunt" to anyone, at any time, as per the Bill of Rights says I can, I don't give a fuck if it's over the internet, phone, the person's face, or a sign on the back of a plane.

Particularly if it's true, then it isn't slander.

[dude]

This isn't about calling someone an asshole . More like what happened a few weeks ago to that one girl (with the video people put all over the place) . Where the line gets drawn uhuh but i don't mind this at all.

[Tricen]

What exactly triggered this? Did I miss something?

EDIT: I found it, nvm. I knew someone who pulled this type of thing on another chick. She told the story like it was the funniest thing ever, I seriously wanted to kick her face in. I mean, fucking with people is one thing, but fucking with their emotions is just wrong.

[Fhqwghads]

I don't understand why laws like this need to be enacted. First off, where were the parents at when the victim who committed suicide was browsing the web? Once again, parents fail. They need to know what their kids are up to when they're on the web. Of course there are other ways for children to get web access (library, cafe, etc.) but I'd say the majority of them are on the web at home, and the parents are too busy watching TV or playing golf or some shit. Then when little Suzy, who apparently has no capacity for self-control, kills herself over some fake internet persona instead of, I dunno, NOT logging on to read e-mail/MySpace messages that are obviously upsetting her, it becomes a problem for society. Wait ...what?

This is bullshit. So now we have to potentially walk on eggshells when we post in a heated fashion to make sure we don't type something that might upset someone to the point that they report our communications as harassment, and then potentially face criminal charges?? What the fuck is this shit? The people who are trying to pass these laws will pass them, simply because the web is not something they are familiar with, and therefore they'll just nod their heads and stamp the bill with a seal of approval, making yet another ridiculous law that will be exploited by prosecutors and sensitive tree-hugging hippie emo retards.

[SamanosukeShiva]

lol tricen ur sig

[Feielle]

Ummm I plead the First...

Amen. Just because I tell you to shoot yourself in the head doesn't make me liable for your dumb ass going through with it.

Christ, I got made fun of relentlessly all throughout elementary school up until I graduated. Grow a damn spine, MySpace doesn't matter that much.

[JigglyJam]

This law is one of the most retarded things I have ever heard of.

No one is forcing you to connect to the internet and read hate e-mail or whatever the hell they call it.

And the chick who killed herself? That's just sad. Not in the way that she lost her life, but fucking sad she killed herself over the internet. Pitiful.

[miokomioko]

I have no sympathy for anyone who kills themself. Fucking period. If you can't handle what you've got handed to you, and you want to end it all, go for it. I think it should be one's choice to do it but I think anyone who does is a goddamn pussy. And most of all, it's definitely not anyone's fucking fault you can't ignore/disregard what shitty people say. Lighten the shit up and get over it. It's what all the alive people have done. Like no one has ever been bullied in their life. This is turning into an old man saying "back in my day... we just had to suck it up and get on with our life" but it's fucking true.

If this offends you because you know someone who killed themselves, I don't fucking care at all. I would still hold to this belief even if a family member did it. It's mostly anger at said people for putting their own peers and family into grief because of their selfish and melodramatic bullshit.

This shit is just encouraging people to be oversensitive to dumb shit that happens on an every day basis every minute of a year and most of us have turned out just fine and have been dealing with it just fine. So what's so hard? Some emotionally fragile dumb fucking girl decides to do something pathetic and now we have to watch what we say so someone doesn't try and press charges and sue for "emotional distress" however abstract that may be and fuck us over financially? Fuck that.

[Beckwin]

This law is lame. Not that I don't think harassing/mindfucking minors to very serious degrees shouldn't go unpunished, but making a law specific to the internet about it is fairly ridiculous. More generalized abuse and harassment involving minors legislation would be more appropriate.

[Ramor]

Personally, I agree, but we live in a lawsuit happy community. It would only be matter of time before a lawyer wins a case based on some bullshit internet trolling causing 'emotional distress/harm.'

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought lawsuit were for civil law, not criminal.
Not saying that someone who is found guilty can't be sued, but you need to do something people consider a crime in the first place.

While I agree the laws system isnt perfect, I don't think anyone would be found guilty for causing emotional distress unless you do some major harassing/stalking, intrusion in private life and the like.

and yet McD's and hot coffee/fat people come to mind
there's also the case that the guy won against home depot because they sold him a mower and he ran over his son's head with it

people can stop being pussies and hiding behind lawyers/soccer moms for the most part, besides there's a lot worse things out there that deserve more attention than the emotionally traumatized people over the internet every year.