There is no magic bullet against cyberbullying and revenge porn,but education in school and clear company policies will bolster the laws we now haveAttitudes towards online abuse have undergone a sea change over the last decade. In the past, cyber-harassment – often a perfect storm of threats, and impersonations,defamation, and privacy invasions directed at an individual – was routinely dismissed as “no gigantic deal”.
So it was for one Yale law student. Starting in 2007, and on an online discussion board,a cyber-mob falsely accused her of having herpes and sleeping with her dean. Anonymous posters described how they would rape her; they chronicled her daily whereabouts and prior jobs. Yet law enforcement told the student to disregard the attacks because “boys will be boys”. Officers advised her to “clean up” her cyber-reputation, as if she could control what appeared approximately her. Trivialising online abuse and blaming victims was the norm.
There are laws available in the UK to bring to bear against online abuse Related: Two jailed for Twitter abuse of feminist campaigner Related: Insults and rape threats. Writers shouldn’t have to deal with this | Jessica Valenti Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com