{"id":948641,"date":"2021-11-01T09:13:39","date_gmt":"2021-11-01T13:13:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=948641"},"modified":"2021-11-01T09:13:41","modified_gmt":"2021-11-01T13:13:41","slug":"new-uk-law-could-see-trolls-jailed-for-causing-psychological-harm-disinfo-ratioing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/new-uk-law-could-see-trolls-jailed-for-causing-psychological-harm-disinfo-ratioing\/","title":{"rendered":"New UK Law Could See Trolls Jailed for Causing &#039;Psychological Harm&#039;, Disinfo, Ratioing"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">26<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fnew-uk-law-could-see-trolls-jailed-for-causing-psychological-harm-disinfo-ratioing%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=948641&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/GettyImages-843246224-e1635771048767-640x335-1.jpg\" class=\"ff-og-image-inserted\" \/><\/div>\n<p class=\"subheading\">Twitter trolls and purveyors of \u201cdisinformation\u201d will potentially face jail time in the UK under a series of anti-free speech measures set to be implemented by the Conservative Party-run government of Prime Minister Boris Johnson.<\/p>\n<p>Free speech on the internet will further be curtailed by new proposals set out in the long-dreaded Online Safety Bill, with alleged trolls facing as much as two years in prison for online posts.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"D-ROS-B1\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"M-ROS-B1\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"gmxrevmore\" class=\"H\"><\/figure>\n<p>Offences added to the legislation will include \u201cpile-ons\u201d in which users band together to troll someone on social media, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thetimes.co.uk\/article\/5cdadf7c-3a85-11ec-9bef-aa3112940013?shareToken=d54f3ae1c1335a35e680fb2322431dd7\">according<\/a> to <em>The Times&nbsp;<\/em>\u2014&nbsp;potentially criminalising <a href=\"https:\/\/www.merriam-webster.com\/words-at-play\/words-were-watching-ratio-ratioed-ratioing\">ratioing<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Mocking the proposed restrictions, columnist Madeline Grant <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Madz_Grant\/status\/1455107728293171201\">said<\/a>: \u201cI feel personally victimised by this bafflingly stupid idea. Can whoever suggested it please be jailed, thanks.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Based on recommendations from the Law Commission, the&nbsp;Department for Culture, Media &amp; Sport (DCMS) will push for the criminalisation of posts that are&nbsp;\u201clikely [to cause] psychological harm\u201d.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"M-ROS-B2\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<p>The change in the law would see the emphasis placed on the \u201charmful effect\u201d of a message, in contrast to the current standard of which criminalises \u201cindecent\u201d or \u201cgrossly offensive\u201d material.<\/p>\n<p>Perhaps most concerningly, the bill will also criminalise sharing a supposedly \u201cknowingly false communication\u201d in order to \u201cemotional, psychological, or physical harm to the likely audience\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>Government sources told the paper that an example of such activity would include \u201canti-vaxers\u201d for spreading information that the state says they know to be false.<\/p>\n<p>The British government has already <a href=\"https:\/\/www.breitbart.com\/europe\/2020\/11\/16\/covid-censorship-80-per-cent-of-brits-back-criminalising-anti-vax-posts-online\/\">admitted<\/a> that during the pandemic it has been flagging&nbsp;anti-vax posts directly to social media companies in order to pressure the tech companies to censor them.<\/p>\n<p>The&nbsp;Defence Cultural Specialist Unit (DCSU) of the British army\u2019s 77th Brigade \u2014 which was initially founded to combat Islamist propaganda \u2014 has also reportedly been <a href=\"https:\/\/www.breitbart.com\/europe\/2020\/11\/30\/british-anti-terrorism-army-units-targeting-anti-vax-online-content\/\">monitoring anti-vax groups<\/a> in order to counteract narratives that go against the government\u2019s line on the Chinese coronavirus.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"M-ROS-B3\" class=\"a8d adSo\"><\/figure>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\" readability=\"8.0952380952381\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">UK Govt Plans Sweeping Internet Controls to Combat \u2018Online Harms\u2019 Including \u2018Fake News\u2019, \u2018Trolling\u2019 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/c2S7FZG4Ad\">https:\/\/t.co\/c2S7FZG4Ad<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/BreitbartLondon\/status\/1115524750531538945?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">April 9, 2019<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>In the wake of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.breitbart.com\/europe\/2021\/10\/21\/ali-harbi-ali-charged-with-murder-of-david-amess-preparation-of-terrorist-acts\/\">suspected terrorist<\/a> killing of Sir David Amess MP last month, Conservative MPs have been calling on the government to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.breitbart.com\/europe\/2021\/10\/20\/tory-mps-push-bojo-to-end-online-anonymity-after-amess-killing\/\">end online anonymity<\/a>, despite there being no reported connection between the killing and people insulting MPs anonymously online.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"D-ROS-B2\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<p>On top of the new restrictions on speech, the Online Safety Bill would seek to regulate social media via the&nbsp;Office of Communications (Ofcom), which already polices television broadcasts.<\/p>\n<p>The move would enable the government to levy heavy fines against social media companies that fail to police speech to the satisfaction of the British state.<\/p>\n<p>Then-Culture and Media Secretary Oliver Dowden&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.breitbart.com\/europe\/2021\/02\/02\/as-poland-stands-up-for-free-speech-uk-cracks-down-on-hate-speech\/\">said<\/a> in February that the fines would amount to \u201cbillions of pounds\u201d.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"M-ROS-B4\" class=\"a8d adSo\"><\/figure>\n<p>In the absence of&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.breitbart.com\/europe\/2020\/11\/24\/think-tank-boris-should-pass-first-amendment-law\/\">First Amendment style protections<\/a>&nbsp;for speech in Britain, successive Conservative governments have followed the lead of previous Labour governments in implementing restrictions on online speech.<\/p>\n<p>One example of the government\u2019s campaign against so-called hate speech has seen police record thousands of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.breitbart.com\/europe\/2020\/01\/06\/uk-police-log-thousands-hate-incidents-that-arent-crimes\/\">\u2018non-crime hate incidents\u2019<\/a> in criminal databases, meaning that such non-offences will be visible on background checks, despite the alleged perpetrator not having committed an actual crime or been given an opportunity to fight the accusations against him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe are making our laws fit for the digital age,\u201d insisted a government spokesman.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOur comprehensive Online Safety Bill will make tech companies responsible for people\u2019s safety and we are carefully considering the Law Commission\u2019s recommendations on strengthening criminal offences.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\" readability=\"7.1813471502591\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">David\u2019s Law: Tory MPs Push Bojo to End Online Anonymity Despite No Known Connection to Suspected Terror Attack <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/PTuYbweTQu\">https:\/\/t.co\/PTuYbweTQu<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/BreitbartLondon\/status\/1450773296849596421?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">October 20, 2021<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<h5 class=\"western\"><em><span>Follow Breitbart London on Facebook:<\/span><\/em><em>&nbsp;<\/em><em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/BreitbartLondon\/\"><span>Breitbart London<\/span><\/a><\/em><\/h5>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Twitter trolls and purveyors of \u201cdisinformation\u201d will potentially face jail time in the UK under a series of anti-free speech measures set to be implemented by the Conservative Party-run government &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":123,"featured_media":2315279,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-948641","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/948641","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/123"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=948641"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/948641\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2315279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=948641"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=948641"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=948641"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}