United Kingdom may punish extreme ‘trolling’ more severely

The UK may face tougher crackdowns on individuals who make provocative, insulting or threatening comments online. The maximum sentence for serious cases should increase from six months to two years in prison.

The United Kingdom government may quadruple the maximum penalty for ‘internet abuse’, the British newspaper Daily Mail reported. The paper was told this by the country’s Secretary of State for Justice, Chris Grayling, who said: “These internet trolls are cowards who are ruining our lives.”

The commotion is the result of several incidents, in which, among other things, a fashion model was threatened with rape. Persons guilty of such offenses can currently only be tried under the Malicious Communications Act and carry a maximum jail term of six months.

The intention is to increase the maximum prison sentence for the most serious offenses to two years. “We need to send out a clear signal,” Grayling said, “if you troll, you risk ending up behind bars for two years.”