Kiwi cyberbullies face jail as New Zealand criminalizes trolling

New Zealand’s government has passed the Harmful Digital Communications Bill, which declares that cyberbullying is a criminal offence. Anyone using digital communications like Facebook, Twitter or even WhatsApp in a way that causes “serious emotional distress” is considered to be breaking the law and could face a number of punishments. Posts that are deemed to be racist, sexist, speaking badly of someone’s sexual orientation or a disability and showing religious intolerance are all covered by the bill. Ramifications for committing the newly-declared crimes include mediation, fines of up to $33,900 or even a jail sentence. It has also been made…

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