back to article Ireland to make revenge porn, cyberstalking criminal acts

The Irish government is planning to make the most unpleasant online acts criminal offences. Under legislation currently being drawn up, cyberstalking and revenge porn will come with jail sentences and criminal records. "Up-skirting" – where people surreptitiously use cameras to record up women's skirts – will also be made a …

  1. This post has been deleted by its author

  2. Vinyl-Junkie
    Headmaster

    Clickbait headline

    Correct English would have been "Ireland to make revenge porn and cyberstalking criminal acts". But that wouldn't be half so "funny".

  3. nonsequitir

    Catches up? I think you'll find Ireland ahead of most.

    1. Loyal Commenter Silver badge

      'Ahead of most' in some respects only. Lets not forget those blasphemy laws now...

      1. Alan Bourke

        They're embarrassing ...

        ... however they are unlikely ever to be enforced, the recent palaver was a case of someone highlighting the absurdity of it to try and shame the government into action. The police demonstrably DGAF.

      2. wolfetone Silver badge

        "'Ahead of most' in some respects only. Lets not forget those blasphemy laws now..."

        You're right. They should've arrested Stephen Fry for crimes against describing how the internet works.

        Remember that?

        1. frank ly

          deeply ironic

          http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/stephen-fry-donald-trump-lies-belief-confidence-interview-a7737131.html

          At least he managed to explain the Dunning-Kruger effect. It explains a lot.

  4. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    So we can't use the videotape against Bishop Brennan then Ted ?

    1. Korev Silver badge
      Windows

      Yes..

      ...That would be an ecumenical matter

      1. wolfetone Silver badge
        Megaphone

        Re: Yes..

        Down with this sort of thing.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Drink Feck Arse Girls.

      1. Anonymous C0ward

        Careful now.

  5. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    She played a fiddle in an irish band, so I shoved my phone up her skirt

    I'm incredibly sorry that in the lyrics to 'Galway Girl', Ed Sheeran didn't mention taking saucy phone snaps of the 'Galway Girl' rather than just admitting to getting her drunk and letting 'Little Ed' have his way. Then perhaps, the fucking annoying piece of shit that's been irritating me for months, *and you simply cannot escape from* (even on Radio 4 ffs) would get deported and imprisoned. There, I said it.

  6. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Revenge Porn

    So people that just do it for shits and giggles are safe then?

    We desperately need a "shits n giggles" act

    1. Tikimon
      Facepalm

      Re: Revenge Porn - irrelevant "S&G act"

      This has NOTHING to do with the article, only the referenced post. You been warned.

      The scene: a multi-day paddle/camping trip into the Okeefenokee Swamp. Six canoes worth of recreational drunks and stoners had to pack onto wooden platforms every night. Tents edge to edge, was a bigger group than the platforms normally held. Two of the group had magic mushrooms saved for this night. Eventually the rest of us went to bed, but these two stayed up. Something made one laugh, and he tries to quietly laugh. The pressure generated forced some gases noisily out the back end. Which made them laugh, which caused more audible gas leaks. The cycle continued for ages, a mere ten feet away in an otherwise silent place.

      So it wasn't exactly "a shits and giggles act" but the rest of us had to deal with a FARTS and giggles act for hours. We almost fed them to the alligators, simply push them in and wait. We discussed this option between our tents where they could hear, but it only made them giggle again.

      1. BebopWeBop
        Mushroom

        Re: Revenge Porn - irrelevant "S&G act"

        You needed a good lighter!

  7. tiggity Silver badge

    meh

    "The Irish government is planning to make the most unpleasant online acts criminal offences."

    I got excited for a second, and then realised they were not talking about video auto play ads, ads that take over your whole mobile display / move all the page content around to get "accidental" clicks from user wanting to click x that has now been replaced on screen by ad A.

    (Yes I'm aware og ad blockers, script blockers etc. I occasionally have the painful experience of using other peoples undefended devices)

    Seriously, surely amongst the millions of lines of legislation there are enough statutes on harassment and similar areas that could already be applied, whether something is online or not.

    I'm sure huge chunks of legislation are just idleness / headline grabbing because they can't be bothered to apply existing legislation.

    .. if they want new laws just so they can add longer jail sentences they could still just amend existing statutes.

    There must be a few lawyers clever enough to use existing legislation to find at least one offence being committed by upskirting, posting revealing pics without permission etc.

  8. Mark 85

    Importantly, it will cover both indirect communication and the creation of fake accounts.

    So basically half the Facebook accounts will have to be eliminated?

    1. P. Lee

      >Importantly, it will cover both indirect communication and the creation of fake accounts.

      I think the accounts are real, the data provided by the creators just isn't what the provider can effectively turn to cash.

      In other news, freely available stuff on the internet gets gamed!

      Next you'll suggest putting an AI chat bot online.

      As for revenge porn. Stupid laws to protect stupid people. For all the talk of the age of reason, teaching science in schools and rational humanism, the concept of cause and effect seems to have eluded a lot of people. The scope for abuse far exceeds the good these laws can do. I'm sure there are worthy edge cases, but don't go there. Life is harsh, take the precautionary principle.

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