Peers have dismissed the need for new laws to deal with crime on Facebook and Twitter but called for more clarity on “revenge porn”.
In a report published this week, Social Media and Criminal Offences, the House of Lords communications committee concluded that existing criminal laws are sufficient to tackle offences committed via social media. It said the Communications Act 2003, Malicious Communications Act 1998 and the Protection from Harassment Act 1997, along with the guidelines for applying them published by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), would suffice. However, it recommended that the DPP make it clear when an indecent communication could and should be prosecuted.
The government said in July that it might introduce laws to tackle the problem of pornographic images being posted online by jilted lovers who want to humiliate their ex. Once online, the images are impossible to remove as they are re-tweeted.
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