Japan to jail those who insult on social media

A beautiful and outstanding athlete in her twenties, she became known first for her fight, then for her fashion reality show. “I love you. Live a long and happy life. I’m sorry,” she closed her account at dawn. Instagram next to a photo of him with his cat before he was poisoned with hydrogen sulfide. Hana Kimura took hundred days of toxicity message miscellaneous: “gorilla” attributes, reminders of Indonesian blood, death wishes…

this penal code change Confirmed this week, she responded to the suicide that sat the country down on the couch two years ago. Japan to punish with penalties Up to one year in prison and 300,000 yen (2,120 euros) for defamation on networks social. Goodwill is not spoken. Modernize the laws of the analogue world and feel the distance between a harmless and temporary insult on the street and an indelible mark on social networks and another insult participating in a mass satire.

Risks a rigorous practice assumes for the company Freedom of expression. Lawyer organizations and the main opposition formation, the Constitutional Democratic Party, opposed the law, which only subordinated it after supporting the conservative government’s initiative. a review within three years to quantify the effects. The ambiguity of the concept of insult is disturbing. The criminal code, which defines it as the public degradation of another’s social position without reference to concrete actions, does not solve the mystery. Will a simple “crest” be enough to get you behind bars? The law can be deter criticism of the government or the powerful, with plenty of pockets to face lengthy legal proceedings. And anonymity on social media, after all, facilitates the flow of ideas for those who are afraid to express themselves in public.

Victims are more protected

The reform simplifies the legal path to the victim. Currently two procedures are mandatory, one against the platform who is hosting the comment and someone else against internet company, to identify the culprit. In the best-case scenario, it’s an expensive legal journey that results in a fine that doesn’t cover the legal costs. Fines do not exceed 10,000 yen (70 euros) at the end of summer unless the change takes effect. It is more likely that the identity of the sender will not be revealed or that a long-deleted comment will go unpunished. The reform extends the period of prosecution up to three times from the current year.

Shadows over the law sense of national duty. It is for Kyoko, Hana’s mother, who makes the fight against cyberbullying her reason for living. He added anger for the meager 9,000 yen (63 euros) only two prisoners paid for the loss of his daughter. “I want people to understand that. cyberbullying is a crime‘ he said this week. “The previous law was not a deterrent. My inescapable feeling is that we’ve made it. But this is not the end, just the beginning.”

His death focused on the arbitrary torture that celebrities were subjected to by networks. Hana won several championships when she starred in the famous “reality show” Terrace House, produced by Netflix in Asia and the United States. It was a trivial discussion about laundry that triggered the tsunami. Appointed as a villain, he disliked mercy. Confessions of other participants described toxicity with impunity. “They said that if I got into the program, slander would be inevitable and I had to accept it as such. celebrity tax. But is this true? I get a lot of insults every day and other participants suffer too,” explained basketball player Ryo Tawakari. “On TV we are human and we have feelings. Words can be deadly weapons. we have to finish this app a place where you can say whatever you want to celebrities,” added Emika Mizukoshi.

Hana faced a growing problem. In 2011, there were 2,267 people. police complaints for cyberbullying, there were already 8,037 five years later, and close to 12,000 in 2017. There are no records in the last five years, but the trend seems clear that action needs to be taken. protecting the life and mental health of the victims Adrián Foncilas. South Korea has also introduced legal reforms after the 2019 suicides of K-pop stars Goo Hara and Sulli. Those of volleyball player Kim In-hyeok and broadcaster Cho Jang-mi, both this year, say that’s not enough. Japan and South Korea share a fan culture with irrational likes and dislikes, but sudoku is global: how to rein in the new cyberbullying without eroding the old freedom of expression.

Source: Informacion

Popular

More from author

Roskomnadzor calls on Russians to protect online privacy 17:37

Roskomnadzor urged Russians to limit messages from foreigners by setting appropriate privacy settings. The relevant post was published at: telegram channel Roskomnadzor. The Ministry...

In Ukraine, Zelensky was accused of lying about providing unmanned aerial vehicles to the Ukrainian Armed Forces 17:35

Yuriy Butusov, editor-in-chief of the “Censor.net” portal, accused Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky of lying. The journalist published the corresponding post on his page...

Severe stress is known to increase the risk of heart attack 17:29

Scientists from Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School found that people with anxiety, depression and genetic susceptibility to stress have an increased risk...

Former concert director of A-Studio injured in terrorist attack in Crocus 17:28

Alexander Starykh, former concert director of the A-Studio group, went to the hospital four days after the terrorist attack in Crocus. Telegram channel...