Death of a Troll: Suicide Highlights The Perils and Prosecution of Anonymous Speech

1412627695611_wps_77_epa04193391_FILE_A_file_vThere is a sad story out of London that is a commentary on the mutating influence of anonymity on the Internet. Brenda Leyland killed herself after being confronted about her online abuse of the parents of the missing girl Madeleine McCann. Sky News tracked her down as the troll responsible for thousands of hate filled messages to Kate and Gerry McCann, whose three-year-old daughter went missing in Portugal in 2007.

What is interesting is that she faced a criminal investigation. We have previously discussed the worrisome trend in England in criminalizing different forms of speech. While Leyland (writing as @Sweepyface) was vicious, the 63-year-old was also engaged in what appears to be free speech. She is an online bully — something that we all have had to deal with on blogs as a constant reality. Some people find anonymity intoxicating — unleashing the most vile and hateful sides of personalities. It is truly chilling to think that some many people actively repress such impulses until they find a vehicle to attack others without accountability. However, I have serious concerns over the criminalization of speech.

Britain’s Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has made clear that social media could be a criminal offence if they contain “credible threats of violence” or target an individual in a way that “may constitute harassment or stalking”. It is the harassment element that can be highly ambiguous. The prosecutors have said that “Grossly offensive, indecent, obscene or false” messages can be a crime if a “public interest” case. That creates a huge chilling effect on a wide range of speech that some might see as offensive or untrue. As one of the greatest vehicles for free speech in the history of humanity, these prosecutions threaten to curtail a significant resource for free speech.

The article below cites a study by Canadian researchers that concluded that “Both trolls and sadists feel sadistic glee at the distress of others. Sadists just want to have fun… and the Internet is their playground!”

The glee turned to a nightmare for Leyland when her true identity was revealed.

Source: Yahoo

329 thoughts on “Death of a Troll: Suicide Highlights The Perils and Prosecution of Anonymous Speech”

  1. @Penelope

    Thank you!!! I am glad you liked it! If I had more time, I would have woven some Horatius at the Gate into it in honor of all the Italian stuff. And yes, the “Bud” comment was probably too esoteric, and yes, I am sure “it flew over people’s heads. . . LOL! But I am glad to know that somebody picked up on it besides Shelley. My life has purpose after all!

    @NickS

    Thank you for saying nice things about me!

    Squeeky Fromm
    Girl Reporter

  2. Sandi

    Interesting. Fox is suckered years on end by planted lies. That’s a new one.

    VERY good!

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