Websites to be forced to identify trolls

Websites will soon be forced to identify people who post defamatory messages online.

BBC

Could be 'interesting'......

[Kymmy]

"We now go to the tech news....The price of VPN's has risen today due to unprecedented demand"

Good. The level of vitriol and abuse on the Internet is reaching absurd levels. Twitter has become a cesspool of humanity where the thickest, nastiest, xenophobic little racists lurk. It's time for the anonymous trolls to face the consequences of their actions.

[Kymmy]

But that's the point, they hide behind the anonymity of the internet so will all just move (if they already haven't) to VPNs.. Which means that this law is basically worthless... Just look for example at the piratebay thread..

Originally Posted by Kymmy

But that's the point, they hide behind the anonymity of the internet so will all just move (if they already haven't) to VPNs.. Which means that this law is basically worthless... Just look for example at the piratebay thread..

I think most of these people don't tend to smart enough to do that. They just post abuse without thinking. They don't even seem to understand they are traceable.

[Kymmy]

Originally Posted by Damien

I think most of these people don't tend to smart enough to do that. They just post abuse without thinking. They don't even seem to understand they are traceable.

I think that attitude has changed over the last few years.. Even trolls are getting more computer savvy just look at the issues site mods/admins have these days.. First it was p2p evading after the davenport Lyons letters got sent out and it's all progressed from there..

A simple google has easy to set up instructions that even a true blonde could follow.. I know as I live with one

Originally Posted by Kymmy

I think that attitude has changed over the last few years.. Even trolls are getting more computer savvy just look at the issues site mods/admins have these days.. First it was p2p evading after the davenport Lyons letters got sent out and it's all progressed from there..

A simple google has easy to set up instructions that even a true blonde could follow.. I know as I live with one

It won't stop as many of the determined trolls. The ones who know what they are doing and plan it, obsess over it. It will stop the teenagers using Twitter to abuse and bully people IMO.

They can then ask the VPN supplier for the originating IP address, surely?

Originally Posted by Hugh

They can then ask the VPN supplier for the originating IP address, surely?

Might run into problems with the VPN is from another country. They may not be bothered enough to go that far.

[Russ]

Lol is this a mod-only thread or what?? :-)

I think this is long overdue. Most of the time this is going to apply to the "I'll say whatever I want coz whatever happened to freedom of speech innit" types that crop up on website and forums these days.

[danielf]

Originally Posted by Damien

It won't stop as many of the determined trolls. The ones who know what they are doing and plan it, obsess over it. It will stop the teenagers using Twitter to abuse and bully people IMO.

This. The large majority of people aren't determined trolls who go out of their way to make sure they aren't traceable. This move should reduce the number of people who post abusive stuff at a whim. I think that's a good thing, though I do wonder how abusive/defamatory will be defined. I would hope that it'll be a bit firmer than a public order offence where one complaint is sufficient for an offence to have been committed. Then again, are web masters expected to be the judge of what is defamatory, or will there be a separate body that scours forums on users' request? Too many questions at this point.

[Kymmy]

Originally Posted by Russ

Lol is this a mod-only thread or what?? :-)

Probably because on a forum it effects the mods/admins more than the members who see only a fraction of the troll mess we have to clean up

[carlwaring]

Originally Posted by Russ

Lol is this a mod-only thread or what?? :-)

I wasn't want to say anything

Originally Posted by danielf

Then again, are web masters expected to be the judge of what is defamatory...

There are clear rules as to what is considered a libellous/defamatory comment.

This is an extract from "Essential Radio Journalism" by Paul Chantler & Peter Stewart. (Ch 12, P207)

Anything published which damages someone's reputation is potentially defamatory. Literally this means de-farning someone. Defamation is divided into slander (spoken) and libel (published). All broadcast defamation is defined as libel because broadcast speech is more wide-ranging than normal speech and, because it goes out on the radio via transmitters, is effectively published.

The legal definition of defamation says that something is libellous if it:

o Exposes anyone to hatred, ridicule or contempt.
o Causes anyone to be shunned or avoided.
o Lowers anyone in the estimation of , right-thinking members of society generally'.
o Disparages anyone in their business, trade, office or profession.

Libel is all about the meaning of words or phrases. The test is what a 'reasonable person understands and thinks about those words. This takes into account inference, implication and innuendo. It does not matter whether the person hearing the libel believes it or not. Even a joke can be libellous.

The plaintiff has only to prove that the statement is defamatory, that it refers to him or her and that it was actually broadcast. The plaintiff does not have to prove that the statement did any real damage; it is sufficient that it simply discredits him or her. The main burden of proof is on the defendant (that is you!) who has to show what was said is true or that there is a protection from one of the recognized defences to libel.

[dilli-theclaw]

I don't think the trolls will give a crap - either the ones on this site or elsewhere.

[Russ]

Originally Posted by carlwaring

There are clear rules as to what is considered a libellous comment. I'll see if I can find them. Back in a moment...

On top of that there is what the CF Team consider to be libellous as well. Nobody (other than Mick, Frank and Paul) has the right to post on here and the site owners have full discretion to decide if something is inappropriate.

All team members may decide that whereas something is legal, it is not appropriate to be posted on here.

This new proposal is well certainly go some way to cleaning the site up a bit. As it stands if the police or courts approached us requesting a user's details due to offence they have have posted then we won't stand in their way. If someone like VM officially approached us (which they never have btw) wanting a user's info then we'll turn them down.

We aren't going to take an armchair lawyer's advice - if we need to check the legal situation on matters we have ways of doing so. But if the law doesn't apply then it is the team's discretion.