www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-18404621

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

New government proposals say victims have a right to know who is behind malicious messages without the need for costly legal battles.

The powers will be balanced by measures to prevent false claims in order to get material removed.

Last week, a British woman won a court order forcing Facebook to identify users who had harassed her.
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Im all for reveling who is who to the authorities. As it can clash with the data protection act at a individual level.

Personally, if the authorities asked for information I wouldnt hessitate to help fully.

Great idea IMO

You wouldn't stand for it in the "real world"

Should name and shame them and would make think people think twice before trolling etc.

Good News!
Too much bullying going on at every level now. The thought of it will work wonders, as bullies are usually cowards too!

Excellent news. About time too !

Great news as its a way to get things straight , well done good news x

It's like most things in this country - they can bring back hanging if they like but if no one polices it then no charges can be made and the law becaomes an ass.
In my opinion all that will happen is people will cry wolf and enjoy being the victim and the real problem will get get buried under piles of folks hiding behind the nanny state.

I'm split on this. Part of me thinks it's a good thing for GENUINE cases, but there's another part of me that thinks that some are too quick to cry "cyber bullying" or "trolling".

Nobody forces people to go on sites like Farcebook, Twitter & Forums etc. It's the internet, you need a somewhat thick skin & the ability to realise that it's words on a screen! If you can't handle the fact that not everybody will like "you", the persona you portray or what you write, then there is a logical answer - turn off the computer/laptop/internet!!

You don't have to sit & argue with people - there is an off button!!

For the GENUINE cases, the answer is pretty much the same IMO. IF it spills into the "real world" and results in assaults/stalking/fear etc then that's a different matter. If all you are being subjected to is words on a screen then delete your Farcebook etc, go under another name or stay off it alltogether. It's not rocket science.

JMPO & not aimed at anyone in particular just in case someone gets the hump over it

I agree with Wench
but
also off www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-18404621


"It will be very important to ensure that these measures do not inadvertently expose genuine whistleblowers, and we are committed to getting the detail right to minimise this risk."

Could also be another step towards Big Brother policing the internet and controlling what content can be published on it.


hmmm! methinks there might come a day when you'll have to have a licence(like the tv licence)or similar to be able to go on the internet - all in protecting your best interests of course

Thick skin needed? Maybe for the likes of a lot of us, but how about those who are vulnerable like disability groups? Those who are emotionally susceptible, school children who also have to face it the next day in classroom. There are many school children bullied in this way resulting in suicides.
How sad it is, that people can't see the wider picture and who it can affect apart from themselves.
Bullying makes the world a very lonely place to be in and to expect kids not to use the internet, when all they've been taught to do, is to use the internet, is not possible.
Imagine being bullied at school, coming home and going on the internet looking for a friend to talk to, only to find they are all taking about you in not a nice way. To actually switch off, just like that is asking the impossible from a teenager etc. It goes very deep and as adults we should understand and be a supportive part of anything which will protect our children and families.It has to start somewhere.
If it happened to one of yours, whatever age, I think you would not like it and could cause you untold grief.
If Big Brother intercedes in our lives in yet one more way, it's not going to make much difference as we are followed,watched and tracked already. Who gives a monkeys anymore?
If there is one thing that I detest, it is bullying particularly from faceless people. It destroys lives. and I've got the hump!

There is a report on this tomorrow night: Thursday 14th. June on Channel 4 news at 7pm.

Might be interesting for us.

So, Facebook did not act on the person's behalf when they must have reported the posts which brought this case to court. Facebook then allowed this type of behaviour to continue via their website - should they not be prosecuted in some form?
As to the tracing of an IP address - I know you can trace to a town/city - but to an actual address?
The joys of social networking. The person should have set up their account and settings a bit better, minimising the use of trolling by others.
Does this mean that you can prosecute someone who puts posts onto someone else's facebook page about you, that you can also act and prosecute, even though the posts was not on your own Facebook page?

Hence I said about GENUINE cases

So who should decide what is a genuine case and what is not, and how long would it take to decide? In the meantime kids would be suffering. You know as well as I do Wench, that nothing is rushed in this country.

I have no idea! If anyone's being bullied at school, they should be speaking to their teachers in the first instance anyway (I'm a fine one to talk, I didn't tell my Mum about the bullying at school until 24yrs AFTER it ended).

It's not like it used to be - it's much more high profile now and things are done about it. It wasn't back then, it was a case of shut up & put up.

There will always be bullying - I got it because I'm a GWAR, fat, wore glasses, had an "old" Dad (not that it bothered me as he was the best Dad in the history of the entire universe in my eyes), he had a prosthetic leg, I wasn't fashionable (nothing changed there then)... you get the idea.

The only things rushed in this country are things that affect the "Old Boys Network" (I'm not starting on Tom Winsor as I need to go & get my BP checked and it will drive it sky high).

According to my information , things have not really changed in schools, as it's not good for the reputation. All to do with point scoring! It's a rather better option to keep it under wraps. So although, it is much more high profile, it's still not being tackled. When the teachers are threatened by the pupils and nothing much can be done about it, what hope for the kids who are intimidated into keeping quiet?

Yes, there was always bullying Wench, to a lesser degree,same as when I was at school. Not so severe I don't think back then, probably more like kids being humiliated and I was not one to be picked on. Even so, I noticed the effects it had on those who were bullied and how it affected their learning skills,confidence etc. I have also seen the effects of it in very recent times on a grown man. Tragic!
I am sorry you became a victm. How did you feel or cope with it? Unfortunately, some of these children cannot escape it wherever they go and I have heard of three suicides in the Merseyside area, due to bullying in less than 12 months. I bet nobody knows where they where, because it's kept quiet!!!

bullying is quite common in schools,colleges, and on mobiles via texts, i think it is spoken about more in the media than it used to be. and there is a more diverse selection of pupils.