Facebook 'Smut List' Takes Cyberbullying to a Whole New Level -- So Why Isn't It a Crime? - MyDaily

[polaris93]

http://www.mydaily.com/2011/03/21/facebook-smut-list-cyberbullying-linnese-ortega/

Over the past year, cyberbullying, in its myriad forms, has become one of the biggest issues affecting America's teens, notably leading at least one,

Comments

[theclamsman]

I don't know why LJ looks the way it does these days and I don't know if I'm using the right icon or what, so bare with me

[theclamsman]

Ah and just to be clear, writing someone up as a slut (or writing that they are) isn't *libel*, just as me writing that the guy in Canada an asshole isn't libel.

[polaris93]

Maybe not, but it can do real harm. Exposing the perpetrators -- getting their names and identities and putting those up on a list on Facebook or wherever -- might provide enough evil consequences for the perpetrators that it would send a strong message to others who might otherwise try the same thing: "Don't do this, or you'll end up being public laughingstocks, and somebody else may put your name up on a 'smut' list!"

[polaris93]

Perhaps they could extend laws on libel and defamation of character to cover things like this, being careful to include "with intent to do harm" to victims. Which would be hard to prove. The alternative is for the victims and friends and relatives to put up their own "smut lists," carefully including the names and identities of all the bullies who created the original lists. That just might force the issue enough for something useful to be done about this sort of thing by legislatures. There's also the Interstate Commerce sort of thing, or rather, its Internet analogs, which might be useful here.

However, I'm not an attorney or a legislator, so I don't know how that would work out. Still, cyberbullying can do tremendous harm to victims, who ought to have some way to fight back. Any ideas as to what might work?