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Japan passes revised penal code with harsher punishment for cyberbullying

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Re: Japan passes revised penal code with harsher punishment for cyberbullying

#101
post #52

I think the appropriate aphorism here is "The road to hell is paved with good intentions." No doubt the Japanese government believe that this law is for extreme cases where someone sends thousands of awful messages, or where a mob drives someone to suicide, but this will end up being used to prosecute some poor 14 year old kid who calls someone else a bad name in Call of Duty. Without strict limitations in laws they'…

I’m curious about what other path do you see for the authorities to effectively deal with sever online abuse that results in irl damage. Do you see a country that successfully navigated the issue ? To note, under this law the charges still need to go to a judge to decide how heavy any of it should be.

I’m curious about what other path do you see for the authorities to effectively deal with sever online abuse that results in irl damage.

That's simple. There needs to be a test for what constitutes IRL damage written in to the law.

As far as I know no country has done that.

Re: Japan passes revised penal code with harsher punishment for cyberbullying

#102

Am I the only one who thinks that once you expose yourself to the public you should be prepared to take some "insults"? Just like celebrities you become a "mini celebrity" so you can expect some online harrasment. Not to mention that you can always close your account/make it private.

[deleted]

Re: Japan passes revised penal code with harsher punishment for cyberbullying

#104

Am I the only one who thinks that once you expose yourself to the public you should be prepared to take some "insults"? Just like celebrities you become a "mini celebrity" so you can expect some online harrasment. Not to mention that you can always close your account/make it private.

Would you be okay with me following you when you walk on the street, shouting insults into your face? Why not, you're exposing yourself in public!

Re: Japan passes revised penal code with harsher punishment for cyberbullying

#105

Hopefully only used to shut up these bad guys with the wrong opinions from fuming up my internet with infuriating rhetoric that I would never condone and not us good guys with the right opinions that exist between my keyboard and chair.

Exactly. Now I'm going to write down all the correct options so there is no more arguing on what is right or wrong. Then no one will ever need to feel offended again!

Re: Japan passes revised penal code with harsher punishment for cyberbullying

#106

I am surprised how much less discussion takes place about cyberbullying and the deaths caused by it. I agree with freedom of speech but if it violates someones right to exist then shouldn't the culprits be punished? If not punished atleast have a legal process to discuss/debate it in the court of law? Thoughts?

The problem with what you're saying is that incivility does not directly cause death. I could not actually kill you by writing a lot of really clever insults, not even if they were worthy of Guybrush Threepwood. The deaths "caused" by insults are in fact mediated through rare mental illnesses, and that calls in to question the issue of responsibility. If you bumped into me on the sidewalk and, because a rare illness made me extremely sensitive to impacts, I died, a court would not hold you responsibly like they would me if I hit you with a car. The degree to which the effect of the cause is typical matters a lot in designing legislation or making fair decisions that apply equally to everyone.

Re: Japan passes revised penal code with harsher punishment for cyberbullying

#107

This would suggest the only winning move is not to play. Aside from this, I haven't used Social Media/ Online Dating in about 5 years. For example, if someone posts something like "Where can I find an apartment in LA , my income is only 35k a year". And I respond with " Your not going to make it here, you should move somewhere cheaper." That can be interupted as an insult. On the other end of the spectrum, back when…

IMO if you say X in real life and a judge says you to to jail then why would it be different if you said X on the internet or on the phone? Seems reasonable that your free speech has consequences if you cause harm even if your speech was on the TV,internet or a news paper. Regular laws should apply for all speech.

Re: Japan passes revised penal code with harsher punishment for cyberbullying

#109

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How does forcing a person to defend their harassing behavior in court do anything to curtail free speech?

How much do you have to spend on court costs?

In the US possibly $0. This is a criticism of court systems rather than the actual bullying penalty code being discussed though.

Re: Japan passes revised penal code with harsher punishment for cyberbullying

#110

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Curious which jurisdiction you operate-from. If it’s within the United States, you probably haven’t done much else but “vigorously defend” the ideology for most of your life. There’s never been an absolute right to freedom of speech, and each jurisdiction takes a different approach; this is even more pronounced internationally.

The United States has more freedom of speech than just about anywhere else, although it was a recent development, only coming into its full modern form after a hard fight the 1970s.

Hmmm. I was reminded of the "free speech zones" when I read your comment.

It's hard to judge, of course, but the USA is 42nd in freedom of speech from one press/media perspective.

https://rsf.org/en/index

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