Crack down on social media for spreading hate

Re Why police struggle to detect online threats, Aug. 18

Social media have created a platform for lying with impunity.

We do have laws of libel, which could deal with such lies when they damage a person’s reputation or worse, causing them bodily harm. But it is virtually impossible to enforce them on such a massive scale.

Starting with the innocuous role of a private chat line, they have become monsters. People use them as places where you can spew hatred and spread lies, and even plot and carry out terrorism.

Most recently, we have been watching the spectacle of an immoral president coming to power using the immense power of large-scale lying with impunity, and continuing to lie several dozen times every week with tweets.

The worst of the human race have claimed the safe haven that the social media provide. Facebook and Twitter may have become such monsters unwittingly, but they certainly seem to be enjoying the power, and show no worthwhile efforts to curb the abuse.

The police may have less trouble when dealing with online threats or hatred if the legislators design ways to use the existing laws to address the problem.

For example, they could make is a criminal offence not only to publish and promote hatred (which it is already), but also to propagate it, as in making it criminal to forward such messages and fake news.

It is time to recognize that the social media are no longer a private chat medium. The public probably consumes more news from social media than all the traditional TV, radio and print media combined.

Venkat Krishnan, Ajax