The Issue Of Hate Speech Promulgated Through The Internet

Hate speech promulgated through the internet poses a significant problem for the traditional legal system. The anonymity and mobility of the Internet has made harassment and expressions of hate reach far beyond boundaries of traditional law enforcement. However one must be careful when dealing with such complex offences, ensuring that they are interpreted in a manner that places a balance between what is considered a crime against another and what is considered free expression of views. In this essay I will be examining the role context plays in the construction of hate speech through social media, particularly trolling and how our legal system deals with hate speech in the digital age. The internet is now an engrained feature in modern society, creating a globalised world and network in which only extends our ability to share a free flow of knowledge, ideas and Information as cited in D. R. Johnson and D. Post, research ‘Law and Borders: The Rise of Law in Cyberspace’. Yet on the contrary it has also proven to be a new method for disseminating hate across a wider audience. In the United Kingdom hate speech is addressed under two primary instruments of law. Part III of the Public Order Act 1986 mainly looks after acts that are determined as racial hatred. Section 18(1) states that: A person who uses threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour, or displays any written material which is threatening, or abusive, is guilty of an offence if— (a) he intendsShow MoreRelatedNew York Times Case Study Essay4551 Words   |  19 PagesCase 1-2 New York Times Since 1896, four generations of the Ochs-Sulzberger family have guided The New York Times through wars, recessions, strikes, and innumerable family crises. In 2003, though, Arthur Ochs Sulzberger Jr., the current proprietor, faced what seemed to be a publishers ultimate test after a loosely supervised young reporter named Jayson Blair was found to have fabricated dozens of stories. The revelations sparked a newsroom rebellion that humiliated Sulzberger into firing ExecutiveRead MoreInternational Management67196 Words   |  269 Pagesand accountability. The advent of social networking and other media has transformed the way citizens interact and how businesses market, promote, and distribute their products globally. The same can be said for mass collaboration efforts occurring through digital, online technology for the development of new and innovative systems, products, and ideas. Both social networking and mass collaboration bring new power and influence to individuals across bord ers and transform the nature of their relationships