Doxing, trolling and ‘grossly offensive’ communications are now illegal in the UK
To observe Hate Crime Awareness Week, the UK’s Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) is cracking down on internet bullies and trolls. Actions like posting humiliating photoshopped images of people on social media platforms, creating derogatory hashtags and doxing can get cyber bullies prosecuted.CPS published new social media guidelines to help prosecutors determine which online actions are illegal. The guidelines take aim at doxing, inciting virtual mobbing – encouraging others to participate in online harassment – and fake social media profiles used for online abuse to name but a few.Retweeting something the CPS considers “grossly offensive, indecent, obscene or false” can also land a person in legal hot water. Yet Alison Saunders, CPS director of public prosecutions, stressed to the BCC that prosecutors can’t use the guidelines to “stifle free speech.” People in the UK better check out what actions are now illegal since saying you didn’t know it was illegal just won’t cut it.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here