Katie Price takes campaign to make internet trolling a crime to Parliament

[Deleted]

http://www.itv.com/news/2018-02-04/k...to-parliament/

Katie Price has opened up about online abuse faced by her disabled son as she campaigns for internet trolling to be made a crime.

The former model said she had been moved to take action due to the level of abuse her disabled son Harvey, 15, receives.

"Harvey was getting racial abuse, they were mocking him, doing sex videos on him, putting him in t-shirts," she told Peston On Sunday.

"He's got complex special needs - I've got five children but they always pick on him."

She said she had taken complaints to the police, but was told they were had been unable to charge anyone because of a lack of legislation.

"Why should these people get away with it?

If I said something in the streets about someone you would get arrested, but why is it online it doesn't seem strong enough?"

The reality TV star said the issue affected "everyone" and many people had been driven to suicide by online abuse.

She is calling for a new 'Harvey's law' to close online loopholes, and said there should also be stronger measures to identify people setting up social media accounts so they can be traced if they are abusive.

"If you go to buy a car, you need to give your address, you need to have some kind of security, and they need to do that online," she told the programme.

Ms Price got the backing of fellow guest and Labour MP Stella Creasy, who has also been frequently targeted by trolls on Twitter.

Ms Creasy said she was frustrated police were not using existing legislation around harassment to tackle online abuse.

"All too often it is seen an issue about malicious communications, actually there is legislation around harassment," she said.

"The police and the CPS need to be much better at using the harassment legislation."

Ms Price is taking her case to the Petitions Committee next week who have the power to order a debate in Westminster Hall.

They will look at the impact of online abuse - particularly on people with disabilities - responsibility for protection, whether technology companies are doing enough, whether the law needs to be changed, how to define online abuse and what support is given to victims

Conservative MP John Whittingdale agreed: "I do think it's something we need to look at.

He supported Price's campaign and said that existing laws "need to be amended or brought up to date" to take into account the development of online media.

Obviously it's unlikely to happen but can't exactly say I would be upset if it did

[Rennadrel]

You can't police the internet. And how are you going to arrest someone who is doing it outside of your jurisdiction? What about people who use VPN's? You can't track them either.

[Polyxo]

I don't think that's trolling. That's just harassment. I think you could arguably make it a crime if the victim essentially breaks off contact/blocks/etc someone, and the perpetrator works around that to continue harassing the person.

[Aeula]

Katie Price.

Lol.

[Sykol]

The world is a harsh place. If you can't handle being online, don't go online. The weak need to toughen up and get thicker skin.

[Daedius]

Trolling is a sacred art!

Here, let Gerald "explain" it;

[sopeonaroap]

I don't think that's trolling. That's just harassment. I think you could arguably make it a crime if the victim essentially breaks off contact/blocks/etc someone, and the perpetrator works around that to continue harassing the person.

That's life, a kid has to go through shit to learn how to deal with shit, or they become adults who can't deal with shit and their life suffers. If he is so disabled he can't deal with shit, that's what your family is for, they deal with it for you. Next thing you know, everyone is against the kids picking on the disabled kid and they too will learn a lesson, not all bullies grow up to be awful people and not all victims grow up to be good people. Kids are kids and they need help figuring shit out from peers and adults.

Sheltering them from things makes it impossible to deal with those things later in life when they inevitably come up.

Life was never supposed to be easy, only manageable

[Alydael]

I think she is trolling the trolls and she should be the first person prosecuted under her new crime.

Seriously though- how bad did the trolls trigger her that she went this far!

It may be the ultimate case of trolling, the pinnacle.

[Kronik85]

Like the article points out, the Police already have the tools to deal with this. We don't need a "Harvey's Law".

[Graeham]

Given that the police in this country are already stretched thin as it is and that many physical crimes are overlooked as a consequence it feels counterproductive to devote resources to tackling 'trolling'. I also do not doubt that politicians everywhere will love to tackle 'trolling' purely as an excuse to stifle freedom on the internet, as is often the case.

That's not to say that people should be giving free reign to be idiots online but it's a slippery slope to try and police the internet.

[Kronik85]

I think she is trolling the trolls and she should be the first person prosecuted under her new crime.

Seriously though- how bad did the trolls trigger her that she went this far!

It may be the ultimate case of trolling, the pinnacle.

She has a severely disabled child who is consistently the target of online abuse. She might be a waste of time and space but that doesn't mean her kids deserve this shit.

[Mosotti]

Maybe her son shouldn't be on the internet at 15, disabled or not. She has like 50 millions dollars, what the fuck is her disabled son doing on the internet?

[Deleted]

Harvey Price is blind not like he can see the abuse is it.

[Zelk]

Harvey Price is blind not like he can see the abuse is it.

Most phones have speakers nowadays. I follow a couple of accounts ran by partially sighted people. They hate anyone who has emojis in their name because they take ages to get read out.

[Evil Midnight Bomber]

Maybe her son shouldn't be on the internet at 15, disabled or not. She has like 50 millions dollars, what the fuck is her disabled son doing on the internet?

This is the weirdest attempt at class warfare I've seen.

[Super Kami Dende]

I imagine this is just the Streisand effect in motion. A few people Troll her, she gets triggered and complains, so more people Troll her for the lulz, she gets more triggered and complains more. I foresee she's going to be in for a World of trolling trying to push something like this through.

[alt-ithist]

Maybe her son shouldn't be on the internet at 15, disabled or not. She has like 50 millions dollars, what the fuck is her disabled son doing on the internet?

What is weird about a 15 yo on the internet. My son is only 9 and a good chunck of his homework is done online on his schools portal. While he isn’t allowed to go online without us, can’t see that rule still applying when he’s 15.

[Sykol]

What is weird about a 15 yo on the internet. My son is only 9 and a good chunck of his homework is done online on his schools portal. While he isn’t allowed to go online without us, can’t see that rule still applying when he’s 15.

A 15 year old is more than capable of brushing off a stranger's comments on the internet, and if not, doesn't have the maturity to explore it unsupervised.

[Strawberry]

Uh, there's a difference between trolling and bullying.
She's obviously confused.

[Tommy T]

All I can think of after hearing the name Katie Price.