Japan just introduced new cyberbullying legislation. As of today, insulting someone online will be punished with a year in prison and a fine of 2200 euros. Until now, the country has been relatively lax in this area, despite some high-profile cases.
Governments around the world are still looking for the best way to fight cyberbullying. This scourge of the social media age is very difficult to contain, even more difficult to eradicate and is a thorn in the side of authorities, web giants and, first and foremost, the victims. Initiatives have been taken in France as well, such as an application project to facilitate reporting, but the effectiveness has yet to be proven. Japan has opted for a more frontal solution. 2020:
The country is deeply shaken by the suicide of professional wrestler and local reality TV star Hana Kimura, which took place after a particularly virulent cyberbullying campaign. She was only 22 years old. Despite the seriousness of the facts, however, two men are fined only 65 euros. After the scandal caused by this affair, the authorities decided to tighten the screw.
For example, the country passed a new law on Thursday 7 July to combat cyberbullying more effectively. Anyone who publishes insults on the Internet will now be punished with a prison term of one year and a fine of 300,000 yen, or about 2,200 euros. In addition, victims now have up to 3 years to file a complaint against their attacker. Previously, this penalty was just 30 days in prison and a 10,000 yen fine.
To congratulate this realization, this new measure nevertheless raises the question of what is considered an insult and what is not. “There must be a guideline that distinguishes between what qualifies as an insult,” said Seiho Cho, a Japanese lawyer. “For example, at this point, even if someone calls the leader of Japan an idiot, it might be classified as an insult under the revised law. “
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