UK Government Asks Law Commission to Look at Online Trolling

The government of the United Kingdom has asked the Law Commission to launch a review of English laws about online trolling:

"The government has asked the Law Commission to review the laws around offensive communications and assess whether they provide the right protection to victims online."

"With research showing that nearly a third of UK internet users were on the receiving end of trolling, harassment or cyberbullying last year, the independent body will provide a robust review of the current laws and set out how they apply to online communications (...)"

"The Commission will analyse:

• How the Malicious Communications Act 1988 deals with offensive online communications 

• How the Communications Act 2003 deals with online communications  

• What 'grossly offensive' means and whether that poses difficulties in legal certainty  

• Whether the law means you need to prove fault or prove intention to prosecute offensive online communications  

• The need to update definitions in the law which technology has rendered obsolete or confused, such as the meaning of 'sender' 

• How other parts of the criminal law overlap with online communications laws "