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Metropolitan Police To Target Online Hate Crime and Abuse (bbc.com)

Posted by msmash on from the making-internet-better dept.

A new team of specialist police officers is being set up to investigate online hate crimes, including abuse on Twitter and Facebook. The London-based hub will include a team of five officers who will support victims and identify online abuse, reports BBC. From the report: The two-year pilot will cost 1.7m pound and has received 452,000 pound from the Home Office, the London Mayor's office said. A spokesman said there was "no place for hate" in London and there would be a "zero tolerance" of online abuse. The team, which will be set up in the coming months, will identify the location of crimes and allocate them to the appropriate force. They will work with a team of volunteers. The Mayor's Office for Policing And Crime (Mopac) said social media "provides hate crime perpetrators with a veil of anonymity, making it harder to bring them to justice and potentially impacting on a larger number of people".

4 of 161 comments (clear)

  1. So they want to stop people being assholes.... by Salgak1 · · Score: 5, Funny

    . . . . on the INTERNET ??

    That makes holding back the tide with a teaspoon look doable, in contrast. . . .

  2. Nanny State, start your engines! by JustAnotherOldGuy · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Officer, someone said a bad thing about me on teh interweb!

    Imagine all the real crime that's going to go unaddressed while the police chase down jackasses on Twitter and Facebook.

    "Yeah, we'd like to get an officer out to talk with you about your home invasion and attempted rape complaint, but HamDogg2251 just insulted SpecialSnowFlake4550 on Twitter, so we won't be able to come out until sometime next week."

    --
    Just cruising through this digital world at 33 1/3 rpm...
  3. Re:Online hate crime?? by MBGMorden · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Why does that have to have a special name though? Plotting to kill someone - regardless of motive - should be illegal. Conspiracy to Murder or thereabouts (the exact charge name may vary by locale/jurisdiction).

    Anything that should be a "hate crime" should also just be a regular crime with existing laws against it or it shouldn't be a crime at all. A "hate crime" is always either redundant or an unjust charge.

    --
    "People who think they know everything are very annoying to those of us who do."-Mark Twain
  4. Re:Oh yeah, that's money well spent by cayenne8 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    They're not. In #1, someone is dead. In #2, someone is dead as a result of their circumstances of birth, or choice of religion

    Sorry, I do NOT see the difference.

    A dead person is a dead person.

    Them being shot for being gay or muslim doesn't make their murder ANY more important than someone murdered for wearing argyle socks.

    Dead is Dead.

    If you go with "hate" crime, you are essentially saying their life is worth more than other peoples' lives.

    --
    Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.........