Facebook 'troll' Sean Duffy gets community service for offensive Sophie Taylor image

Facebook

www.bbc.co.uk

Sean Duffy, 25, from the Reading area, admitted posting the doctored image.

Duffy was given 300 hours of community service at Aberdeen Sheriff Court.

He was also given a two-year supervision order and banned from joining social network sites.

He was sentenced to 18 weeks in prison last September after admitting two "trolling" charges - a term used to describe the trend of anonymously seeking to provoke outrage by posting insults and abuse online.

(visit the link for the full news article)

Well, I sure am glad I don't live in the UK. Seems pretty crazy to me, as a freedom loving american, that some one can be arrested for posting a photoshopped image. That seems over the top in my opinion. What next, is there going to be a police force hired, just to patrol social networking sites?

Tasteless, yep. An offence that should be arrest worthy, nope. That is my personal opinion. What say you ATS?

www.bbc.co.uk
(visit the link for the full news article)

It's coming here too
People need to only use Facebook for very light socializing and end it there

This is very much the big brother agenda & i'm sure the the powers that be will be thanking UK officials for beginning the pilot program.

reply to post by ModernAcademia


I wouldn't doubt it at all. I have been considering closing my facebook a lot lately, but it's how I keep in touch with my friends and family back stateside. Also a few overseas. It's a tough choice really, but who knows when a drunken rant is gonna land me in jail right? Unbelievable.....

Hell no!!! He got off lightly.

Just because its an online sites means nothing if someone goes out of their own way, to basically insult and inflict emotional damage.

Would it have been the same if he rang the family and gave them verbal abuse? No it wouldn't, but then you only phoned that family, when you do it on facebook its just as bad for the family but ALL THEIR FRIENDS will also be affected.

This trolling business is public humiliation and cruelty and should always be taken very seriously.

Internet anonymity - with great power comes great responsibility.

reply to post by TKDRL


He wasnt jailed, he was sentenced community service. You say 'arrested', implicating that he was imprisoned. I think the punishment was appropriate.
Here in the US, you would probably get a hefty fine, which i no way fits the crime.

reply to post by TKDRL

I actually agree with the system on this one. He (and others like him) seem to enjoy being hurtful and insulting and that imho at least is a crime. Trolling dead people's relatives is tasteless and nasty. Imagine a family member dies, commits suicide, etc and then you accidentally stumble upon a page making fun of it, how would you feel? Yes there is free speech, but inciting race hatred, violence and all the rest is (quite rightly) a crime and nasty people need to get a life, or kill it.

Originally posted by TKDRL
Well, I sure am glad I don't live in the UK. Seems pretty crazy to me, as a freedom loving american, that some one can be arrested for posting a photoshopped image.

What say you ATS?

I say stay away from Tennessee, we are just as bad......

Tenn. law bans posting images that "cause emotional distress"

A new Tennessee law makes it a crime to "transmit or display an image" online that is likely to "frighten, intimidate or cause emotional distress" to someone who sees it. Violations can get you almost a year in jail time or up to $2500 in fines.

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The new legislation adds images to the list of communications that can trigger criminal liability. But for image postings, the "emotionally distressed" individual need not be the intended recipient. Anyone who sees the image is a potential victim. If a court decides you "should have known" that an image you posted would be upsetting to someone who sees it, you could face months in prison and thousands of dollars in fines.

arstechnica.com

Ugh...

OiO

i'd imagine theres probably some legislation already in the USA that could cover the same things either in postal or telecomms legislation that prohibits the transmission of offensive materials and all it needs is a good lawyer and perhaps a trawl through some old legislation and if some judge agree's then case law is set and trolling like this is suddenly a crime in the US

what kind of image was it ? why was it offensive ? i couldnt find it on the internet.

Originally posted by icepack
what kind of image was it ? why was it offensive ? i couldnt find it on the internet.

According to the OP's source: "The image depicted the teenager with gunshot injuries."

OiO

Originally posted by icepack
what kind of image was it ? why was it offensive ? i couldnt find it on the internet.

It says in the article.

He took a picture of the girl and shopped gunshot wounds on her and posted it. So yeah pretty terrible.

I think he deserves this, its a really sick thing to do. Have you seen the image? Unfortunately there are too many scum bags that enjoy seeing other people suffer, and most importantly have a global platform through facebook.

PS your constitutional right to free speech on facebook is a "legal grey area" I suppose your conduct will decide which way that one goes

reply to post by OneisOne


Will be sure to stay away from Ten, and also do my best not to contribute to their ecomony in any way then

Guess the first post here was right. Thought crimes my friends, it is where we are today. If you plan on doing some trolling, I guess you better use TOR or something

Originally posted by TomServo
reply to post by TKDRL

 

He wasnt jailed, he was sentenced community service. You say 'arrested', implicating that he was imprisoned. I think the punishment was appropriate.
Here in the US, you would probably get a hefty fine, which i no way fits the crime.

"Arrested" is a technical term, and one must be arrested before they can be "charged" and one must be charged before they can be "sentenced" and one must be sentenced in order to do community service. Technically arrested does mean "imprisoned" but usually only for a short time to be processed and released unless you are a danger to society.

Now, criminal charges for "trolling" is completely outrageous! ATSers better watch out! Half the posts on here are borderline trolling! For that matter, every comedian in the world better watch out, because they constantly alter images for humor. Imagine Conan O'Brien or Jay Leno skits being rebroadcast on Facebook posts, and those guys getting arrested for the things they do and say!

reply to post by TomServo


Arrested, means arrested. Imprisoned means imprisoned. Arrested is before trial, imprisoned is after trial if found guilty. That is how it is in the US and Canada at least.

reply to post by getreadyalready


The slope seems like it is not only slippery, but covered in vaseline these days.

reply to post by TKDRL


I post photshops all the time. I hope nothing happens to me I post stuff like this


I doubt it'll get me in trouble. I think it's funny.

So, someone else is responsible for our own emotions?
And also for our thoughts?
For everything we do, actually, because it is always a reaction to someone else actions?
Nice introduction into totalitarian abuse.
Caressing only, people

reply to post by XLR8R


Hahaha watch out for the party van
That's an angle I never thought of until now. Can we now be arrested for making images like that? What if obama saw it and got offended, he would probably have you assassinated though, not arrested