Social Media and the Law Infographic

Many users of social media are unclear on the rules and regulations that apply to conversation in the online world. There are in fact several laws that cover sites like Facebook and twitter, designed to improve the safety of users and prevent harassment or online abuse.

The general gist of these laws is that anyone sending messages, tweets or posts that are offensive, indecent or cause another party anxiety can be seen as guilty. The punishments for this behaviour include arrest, fines and even imprisonment!

There have been many incidences of cases where the law has come down hard on misusers. One man was jailed for 1 year and 243 days after he harassed his wife through Facebook. Two other men were jailed for 4 years for creating an event on Facebook that encouraged a riot. Check out the infographic to see more about these laws, who has broken them and what the result was.

Social Media and the Law Infographic - An infographic by the team at Cartwright King