Government backs anti-trolls campaign

By By Wenlei Ma | 13 September 2012
 

Federal Communications Minister Stephen Conroy and Attorney-General Nicola Roxon have pledged support for The Daily Telegraph's 'Stop the Trolls' campaign.

This week, the News Limited tabloid paper launched a push against anonymous online trolls in the wake of several incidents including the Charlotte Dawson episode. The Daily Telegraph said its goal was to force Twitter to work with authorities in identifying culprits who bully or harass on the network.

Conroy said: “Abusive and harassing behaviour on social networking sites, like Twitter, can have devastating consequences. I congratulate The Daily Telegraph for this worthwhile initiative.”

Roxon said: “It is against the law to use social media in a harassing way. What we need is strong cooperation – from governments, law enforcement and the community. But we also need the assistance of US-based social networks like Twitter.”

Roxon said she is hoping to rally the state Attorneys-General. “I have already discussed this the NSW government and want to work cooperatively with all my state counterparts,” she said.

According to the government, it has spent $125 million over the past five years on cybersafety initiatives including on education, awareness and law enforcement.

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