Do the police arrest people for wrongthink on Twitter [split topic]

[Kankurette]

Sort of related. Do the fuzz really arrest that many people for 'wrongthink' on Twitter? I got into it with someone on Reddit who said the police were too busy 'arresting people for wrongthink' on Twitter. Logically, how is that true? I know Linehan's had the fuzz round but wasn't that over serious harassment?

[dontpaintyourteeth]

I know someone who got a home visit from the police because they posted a photo of themselves pointing a toy gun at a picture of colonel sanders

[PaoloTramezzani]

I know someone who got a home visit from the police because they posted a photo of themselves pointing a toy gun at a picture of colonel sanders

How is Ronald?

[ThaBiggPaybacc]

Do the fuzz really arrest that many people for 'wrongthink' on Twitter?

Sentences slipped casually into a dystopian novel to illustrate just how fucked-up everything's become.

[Mx Wrongs]

Sort of related. Do the fuzz really arrest that many people for 'wrongthink' on Twitter? I got into it with someone on Reddit who said the police were too busy 'arresting people for wrongthink' on Twitter. Logically, how is that true? I know Linehan's had the fuzz round but wasn't that over serious harassment?

I've never known anyone who's had a visit by the police over any Internet related communications. Nobody I know has ever mentioned this happening to anyone they personally know either. It doesn't seem common, to me at least.

The people who whine on about this happening are the people who harass others online. They're the kind of weirdos who would have made malicious and threatening phone calls to people in the past. They'd have got into trouble for that, and the police would have handled that kind of harassment.

It's all telecommunications, and the intent of harassment is no different.

[phantom_power]

Right wing cunts love to present themselves as free-thinking rebels kicking against the man but they mostly are just parroting what the government and media think anyway

[Mx Wrongs]

Graham in Arizona immediately made me think of Road Runner cartoons and Wile E. Coyote harming himself on every attempt to achieve his one meaningless, pointless and ultimately futile goal.

I tried to do a meme from the cartoon images, but it was a bit rubbish. It's left me yearning, it just seems too apt to ignore.

[PaoloTramezzani]

I was thinking about Rob Schneider and Ol' Glinbags doing a Guardian Twitter Masterclass if anyone wants to make that a reality?

[Grunt Work]

Big day for Glinner today to get some deadnaming and misgendering in.

[dissolute ocelot]

The UK doesn't seem to keep very good statistics on hate crime but in 2017/18 in England and Wales, there were 1,784 recorded online hate crimes, of which 69 were against trans people, according to police data (the vast majority was racial). 2% of recorded hate crime was online, and 80% of online hate crime was malicious communications, which is sending a message with the intent of causing distress (although it's classed as violence against the person). That's recorded, not with convictions or even necessarily investigated. It certainly doesn't seem like 1000s of Mumsnet users being thrown in jail though.

Incidentally, Gwent, Hampshire, and Gloucester police force areas had the highest rate of anti-trans hate crimes.

(Source: UK Parliament)

[Kankurette]

I've never known anyone who's had a visit by the police over any Internet related communications. Nobody I know has ever mentioned this happening to anyone they personally know either. It doesn't seem common, to me at least.

The people who whine on about this happening are the people who harass others online. They're the kind of weirdos who would have made malicious and threatening phone calls to people in the past. They'd have got into trouble for that, and the police would have handled that kind of harassment.

It's all telecommunications, and the intent of harassment is no different.

I thought so. Logically speaking, if you arrest people for abusing someone on Twitter, the cells are going to be rammed.

[Dr M1nx PhD]

I'm sure the "you can't say anything these days" lot will have plenty to say about the mad new law they're discussing in Florida that will make accusing someone of racism/sexism/homophobia/transphobia/etc the equivalent of defaming them, even if the accusation is factual and correct, with fines of at least $35k.

Anytime now, there will be articles in unherd and the critic, I'm certain.

[elastoplastthefasterplast]

the people who complain about police coming round over tweets are the same people who phone the police when someone calls them a cunt on twitter

[dontpaintyourteeth]

these comments are all very righteous but I do genuinely know someone who got a literal visit from the actual police for posting a photo of themselves pointing a toy gun at a picture of colonel sanders

[Twilkes]

these comments are all very righteous but I do genuinely know someone who got a literal visit from the actual police for posting a photo of themselves pointing a toy gun at a picture of colonel sanders

Is that not more of a firearms issue, rather than online abuse? Colonel Sanders is a drawing.

[Kankurette]

Jesus! Threatening fictional characteristics isn't a crime. If it was, Deviantart would be shut down.

[Goldentony]

yes

[Sebastian Cobb]

I've seen threats for 'crackdowns' on pirate tv services and that the police might be interested in people grassing up their neighbours and 'friends'.

I can see that being both an online and offline cunt neighbour thing feuding people will make flagrant claims against to put the wind up people.

Pretty fucked that the police are acting as revenue protection officers for massive rich companies like Comcast.

[jamiefairlie]

The UK doesn't seem to keep very good statistics on hate crime but in 2017/18 in England and Wales, there were 1,784 recorded online hate crimes, of which 69 were against trans people, according to police data (the vast majority was racial). 2% of recorded hate crime was online, and 80% of online hate crime was malicious communications, which is sending a message with the intent of causing distress (although it's classed as violence against the person). That's recorded, not with convictions or even necessarily investigated. It certainly doesn't seem like 1000s of Mumsnet users being thrown in jail though.

Incidentally, Gwent, Hampshire, and Gloucester police force areas had the highest rate of anti-trans hate crimes.

(Source: UK Parliament)

"80% of online hate crime was malicious communications, which is sending a message with the intent of causing distress (although it's classed as violence against the person). That's recorded, not with convictions or even necessarily investigated"

So these events that are recorded, are they actually crimes or not? If they are why aren't they investigated? If I'm being robbed I wouldn't be too chuffed if the rozzers reassured me that they were recording the incident with all due speed.

In general I am slightly concerned that the police are over stepping the mark into areas that aren't criminal but are not very nice behaviour. They're not there to stop people being unpleasant.

[Sebastian Cobb]

So these events that are recorded, are they actually crimes or not? If they are why aren't they investigated? If I'm being robbed I wouldn't be too chuffed if the rozzers reassured me that they were recording the incident with all due speed.

I've had things nicked from houseshares a couple of times (due to some div not locking the door) and this is more or less all that happens.

[bgmnts]

Incidentally, Gwent

Get fucking in!

[madhair60]

i spent a night in the cells for tweeting "more like CRAPtain sir tom moore"

[Video Game Fan 2000]

In general I am slightly concerned that the police are over stepping the mark into areas that aren't criminal but are not very nice behaviour. They're not there to stop people being unpleasant.

i do find this scary because to a certain extent its the police acting directly in the interests of private property and enterprise, not the rights and welfare of individuals. its probably part of the same story as the destruction of all commons and removal of any real public spaces either online or off

when we hear about draconian responses to things on social media or in the work places, and the police get involved - its to keep the walled gardens of those private interests profitable and in line with company policies, i don't think its because the police as an entity really care. they just do what the nonprofit help sheets recommended by corporations tell them to do, they're not pouring over ethical and legal theories and thinking "oh wait these kinds of speech are actual violence" - and neither are they being "politically correct" so much as "woke" in the sense most people would understand it

the police don't really care about bad language - they care about bad language in tescos . in a fractionally different world it would be arrests for BO that we would be reading about

[ThaBiggPaybacc]

In general I am slightly concerned that the police are over stepping the mark into areas that aren't criminal but are not very nice behaviour. They're not there to stop people being unpleasant.

This is the crux of it. Like all laws, Section 127 of the Communications Act 2003 is enforced arbitrarily, and inevitably this means it will mainly be used against the easiest targets and the most vulnerable. (In fact, exclusively the most vulnerable - any serious application of the law would have sent Boris Johnson and Katie Hopkins to prison for life long ago.)

What did it gain us, as a society, to spend however many thousands of pounds to prosecute an autistic teenager for using a slur? What, exactly, was the benefit of this? Do we suppose that was money and energy well spent?

[Mobius]

No because it's called X not Twitter

[salr]

Know someone who was visited by plain-clothes police officers after he joked (I think joked) on twitter about taking a water pistol to the olympic torch as it was going past his place.

[Schlippy]

Shitposting account Women4Wes had the police turn up at his house last month after he asked MP Chris Bryant about an article that mentioned unnamed Conservative MPs abusing children abroad:

https://twitter.com/Women4Wes/status/1744718897239163247

[superthunderstingcar]

Do the fuzz really arrest that many people for 'wrongthink' on Twitter?

Original title for Philip K Dick sci fi novel considered too on the nose.

[Kankurette]

Someone's come back to me citing Count Dankula. Wasn't that on Youtube though?

[machotrouts]

Remember the guy who was arrested and convicted for tweeting basically the median CaB post?