The author examines the controversies surrounding cyber-harassment, arguing that it should be considered a matter for civil rights law and that social norms of decency and civility must be leveraged to stop it. --Publisher information.

Hate crime on the internet : hearing before the Committee on the Judiciary, United States Senate, One Hundred Sixth Congress, first session on ramifications of internet technology on today's children, focusing on the prevalence of internet hate, and recommendations of how to shield children from the negative impact of violent media, September 14, 1999.

Hearing on ramifications of Internet technology on today's children, focusing on the prevalence of Internet hate, and recommendations on how to shield children from the negative impact of violent media. Witnesses: Michael J. Gennaco, Assist. U.S. Attorney, and Chief, Civil Rights Section, Central District of California, L.A., CA; Abraham Cooper, assoc. dean, Simon Wiesenthal Center, L.A., CA; Wade Henderson, exec. dir., Leadership Conference On Civil Rights, Wash., DC; Howard Berkowitz, nat. chair, Anti-Defamation League, Wash., DC; and Joseph T. Roy, Sr., dir., Intelligence Project, Southern Poverty Law Center, Montgomery, AL.

Few would argue that a violent attack motivated by negative feelings towards the victim’s race, ethnicity, religion, or sexual orientation is a hate crime. But should a hate-motivated crime be punished differently than the same crime committed for a different motive? What if the crime is verbal, a slur or a ranting blog post or a graffiti scrawl? These may be hateful, but are they hate crimes? And how should they be punished? Are hate crimes on the rise, or are media attention and greater sensitivity to the issue making it appear so? These and other questions are at the center of this thought-provoking collection of articles drawn from across the political spectrum and the globe.

The ideal of an inclusive and participatory Internet has been undermined by the rise of misogynistic abuse on social media platforms. However, limited progress has been made at national – and to an extent European – levels in addressing this issue. In England and Wales, the tackling of underlying causes of online abuse has been overlooked because the law focuses on punishment rather than measures to prevent such abuses. Furthermore, online abuse has a significant impact on its victims that is underestimated by policymakers. This volume critically analyses the legal provisions that are currently deployed to tackle forms of online misogyny, and focuses on three aspects; firstly, the phenomenon of social media abuse; secondly, the poor and disparate legal responses to social media abuses; and thirdly, the similar failings of hate crime to tackle problems of online gender-based abuses. This book advances a compelling argument for legal changes to the existing hate crime, and communications legislation.