Slashdot Mirror
Australia Attorney General Proposes New Laws To Stop Twitter Trolls
CuteSteveJobs writes "Australian Attorney-General Nicola Roxon has flagged new laws to end anonymous trolling via Twitter: 'Twitter should reveal the identities of the anonymous trolls who are breaking the law by abusing others online.' The new laws were proposed after trolls attacked Footballer Robbie Farah. Farah was later granted a meeting with the Prime Minister to to discuss social media abuse. Ironically today it was revealed that Farah himself had trolled the Prime Minister telling her to 'Get a Noose' on her 50th birthday."
Really, everyone know's trolls don't really exist! I check under every bridge I cross and I've never found one. Silly people.
Institute compulsory spellchecking?
-- Using the preview button since 2005
Who gets to decide what is, and is not, trolling? Will trolling be a crime, and under what statute? How much will the "troll patrol" cost?
Clearly, if they don't like you, everything you say will be considered trolling, and you will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law, if they do like you, everything you say will be considered witty, charming, innovative and magical.
So, they'll have Slashdotters with mod points enforcing the law?
Oh God! That would mean all the Linux, GNU and F/OSS critics will be put to death!
So, they'll have Slashdotters with mod points enforcing the law?
*sings* It's the end of the world as we know it
No colour or religion ever stopped the bullet from a gun
Imposing general Slashdot culture on history would be fun. Take the Gettysburg Address. It would have begun with Lincoln saying "I know I'll be modded to oblivion for this", and thoughtful and useful responses would be interspersed with bizarrely off topic and fanatical support or criticism of the then most popular manufacturer of buggies and saddles.
-- Using the preview button since 2005
...which is a real problem if you are a journalist, let alone a twitterer.
The correct adjective is "twit". HTH.
<pedantic>The correct noun is "noun".</pedantic>
On behalf of Australia I'd like to apologise to the rest of The Internet for our politicians' stupidity.
However, in our defence, we are once again only seeking to win the America's Cup equivalent for the 'world's most ridiculous internet-focused legislation'.
We will, of course, be forced to hand it back very shortly after acquiring it.
Business/App ideas are like arseholes: everyone's got one, they're mostly shit, but very rarely they contain a diamond