Declaring war on cyberbullies

Cyberbullying — anonymously posting abusive and malicious attacks on someone online — has become such a problem in South Korea that the government has clamped down on it with a new law.
Under the “Internet real name system,” South Korean bloggers on major Web and media portal sites must give operators their names, Social Security numbers and other personal information before they’re allowed to post messages.
What do you think, WE Bloggers? With cyberbulling on the rise in the United States, too, are we in need of such safeguards?
Posted by Randy Scholfield

24 Comments

  1. Posted July 4, 2007 at 3:18 am | Permalink

    Korea like a lot of the Asian countries are just skunk-sprayed mad when it comes to online stuff.

    Take for instance online multi-player games. There are actual real life clubs where players meet either electronically or in person to plot and plan how to best build their player characters. They turn “playing online” into a business and a subculture all of its own. A lot take this so serious, they are willing to sue, murder, beat up or otherwise destroy any opposition that they can by any means. To some Asians, it’s not cyber it’s the real thing.

    Not sure if it’s a good idea in the United States as the sponsoring organization would have to become a certified “bank” of digital information falling under new rules as outlined by Congress.

    A Blog is not like a town hall meeting where one has to stand up and be recognized first in order to speak. As we all know, anyone who stands up in that type of meeting never meets with any repercussions (rolls eyes.)

    Personally, I would not join a Blog that would require such a thing because quite frankly that is way too much information for one entity to know that is only going to use to track members.

    Also, once a media outlet such as Wichita Eagle has your information, who is to say that their parent organization might use that information to their advantage, such as do credit checks, background checks and other privacy issues outlined under the law. Then turn around and use that information against someone under the protection of the “freedom of the press.”

    Don’t think MSM would do that? Just look how the New York Times spits out classified information at every opportunity they can.

    There are too many loose lips in today’s society. One “insider” working at a Blog Website ‘could’ decide that money for selling private information might be worth taking the risk for.

  2. fleettwood
    Posted July 4, 2007 at 3:38 am | Permalink

    “With cyberbulling on the rise in the United States,…”

    Did anybody read the link scholfield offered? It’s from the BBC. Cyber-bullinginginging in America. It might get more lazy than that, but I would need to do some research. The BBC writes about American cyber-bullys and the Eagle-Beacon picks it up. Reading the poll a little closer, typically, it’s wasted ink about nothing. EVERYBODY PANIC!!

  3. delores
    Posted July 4, 2007 at 5:32 am | Permalink

    I having been participating in the Eagle OL’s, Weblogs and Discussion Board for about two years and when I think I have read the most “abusive and malicious” attacks on other posters, someone tops it.

    Being “anonymous”, posters are more apt to write things that they would not say to a person. We have good examples of this right here on Weblog, but some of this is probably more to “egg on” posters then anything else. I know, to my shame, I am guilty of doing this from time to time.

    The Eagle has their rules and if you break them, more than likely, your posts are deleted. Most of the web sites monitor their blogs, so for now I don’t see we have a problem.

    Now, if you are talking about people making threats against other bloggers, well that’s for another day……..

  4. political_mom
    Posted July 4, 2007 at 8:12 am | Permalink

    There is no question cyberbullying does occur, we’ve seen it in action. But no, I don’t think there needs to be a law using real names. Anonymity (sp?) is a good thing- there are too many bad things that can happen when posting online.

  5. Mary Caruso
    Posted July 4, 2007 at 8:16 am | Permalink

    I have nothing to hide…sounds good to me. If you make an abusive remark, you need to be held accountable.

  6. Gentle Ben
    Posted July 4, 2007 at 9:32 am | Permalink

    Agreed. it’s one thing to make you point, but this blog in particular is probably the worst in the state.

  7. brian
    Posted July 4, 2007 at 10:27 am | Permalink

    OK, those of you with nothing to hide, feel free to post your personal contact information.Thanks.

  8. ksfarmgrrl
    Posted July 4, 2007 at 10:30 am | Permalink

    These kind of restrictions on the internet are probably not far behind here.

    We started down this slippery slope when bushco decided it was just fine for the government, with no supervision from the FISA courts, could, at will, read our email, listen to our phone calls, intercept our regular mail…

    Well. You get the picture. Watch for this coming to your neighborhood soon, courtesy of the bedwetting right.

  9. ksfarmgrrl
    Posted July 4, 2007 at 10:31 am | Permalink

    Oh, and the next time you hear the term “net neutrality” listen. Then take action. Otherwise?

    South Korea.

  10. Posted July 4, 2007 at 10:52 am | Permalink

    Sure, just what we all need. More laws. Write something mean about the whackos in the Kansas Legislature, and then we’ll have a law to stop that. Opps, I just did.

  11. shoveit
    Posted July 4, 2007 at 11:33 am | Permalink

    There are too many loose lips in today’s society. One “insider” working at a Blog Website ‘could’ decide that money for selling private information might be worth taking the risk for.

    Posted by: Republican

    You mean like the FBI laptops that keep getting stolen? Stolen my foot – it is someone or some group within the organization selling this data information. But then again, if Bush doesn’t care when a CIA covert’s identity is outed, then Bush wouldn’t care about some silly littl lost laptop – would he?

  12. Angel
    Posted July 4, 2007 at 12:11 pm | Permalink

    Sometimes the only way to get the truth is from anonymity. Besides, I see mostly fat people getting bullied, and I see nothing wrong with that.

  13. Posted July 4, 2007 at 12:29 pm | Permalink

    You mean like the FBI laptops that keep getting stolen? Stolen my foot – it is someone or some group within the organization selling this data information. But then again, if Bush doesn’t care when a CIA covert’s identity is outed, then Bush wouldn’t care about some silly littl lost laptop – would he?

    Posted by: shoveit | July 04, 2007 at 11:33 AM

    I dunno shoveit, I try to not comment on things I don’t know anything about, unlike some Libs who names start with “s.” :)

  14. Jed
    Posted July 4, 2007 at 12:44 pm | Permalink

    Angel,”Besides, I see mostly fat people getting bullied, and I see nothing wrong with that.”

    Might want to be careful about bullying. Years ago I remember an Eagle photographer, about 6′4″ 300+lbs, who caught a burglar and sat on him until the police arrived. Fat people have the necessary mass to knock you flat and squash your chitlins!

  15. Jed
    Posted July 4, 2007 at 12:51 pm | Permalink

    Shove,”You mean like the FBI laptops that keep getting stolen?”

    Especially since FIA releases have shown those FBI files to be full of unconfirmed accusations, rumors and flat-out lies about people of every political stripe!

  16. Jed
    Posted July 4, 2007 at 1:01 pm | Permalink

    Brian,”OK, those of you with nothing to hide, feel free to post your personal contact information.Thanks.”

    Until this blog changed it’s log-on last spring, you could click on a nic and get their e-mail address. You could always tell the trolls and the timid by their phony addresses. I, and most of the regulars here posted live addresses.

  17. Chas.
    Posted July 4, 2007 at 1:39 pm | Permalink

    I think the concept is OK… but, I dont think there has been any good way of administering the plan… We are much bigger than S. Korea… Their size no doubt helps them to keep the program in check…

  18. Posted July 4, 2007 at 2:16 pm | Permalink

    If you don’t interact with the jerks online they will leave you alone. It certainly works here.

    Or

    Months ago I posted under the name of OneShot. I did that because I only posted once and did not respond to the questions/insults/threats that sometimes followed.

  19. Wiseman
    Posted July 4, 2007 at 2:45 pm | Permalink

    What are you guys talking about?They already know of who is who, thru your Internet Service Provider.Your ISP have all in the info on you when you had connected to them, your computer serial number shows up in their servers the moment that you turn on your computer and each computer is assigned a ISP address.Every website is on a server and the server register every computer ISP address that connects to that website.If you have a website, some website services have a marketing optional feature that lets you see records of all the ISP connections that visit your website.Your ISP address is public information just like your telephone book.

  20. mrcontroversy
    Posted July 4, 2007 at 5:01 pm | Permalink

    In a word, hell yes.People ought to have the right to post on blogs, etc. without keeping an attorney on retainer… which I am now forced to do (for those of you not familiar with the situation, we’re not going there again).

  21. mrbill
    Posted July 4, 2007 at 6:49 pm | Permalink

    Of course not you ninnys. Unless you want an EFF lawsuit as your new partner in your office, I would not go down that rat hole. Besides, it would be hacked or cracked quicker than the new iPhone was …yesterday.

  22. Chas.
    Posted July 4, 2007 at 7:39 pm | Permalink

    If you dont want to go down that road, Mr. C… why bring it up where people will by nature be curious??

  23. Steven Davis
    Posted July 5, 2007 at 12:07 am | Permalink

    Please provide a link that explains your troubles, Mr. C.

  24. TRACY
    Posted July 5, 2007 at 7:36 am | Permalink

    Hello Steven!Nice to hear from ya’.

    Gee, Wally….haven’t we been over and over this?

    KANSAS.COM will not be BULLIED into STOPPING bullying….ever!