Media experts yesterday said that education on the proper use of social media and other online platforms is more important than the stipulations of specific laws tackling cyberbullying.
The call for more aggressive measures from the government to address issues generated by bullying on the Internet was triggered after actress and model Peng Hsin-yi (彭馨逸), more commonly known by her stage name, Cindy Yang (楊又穎), allegedly committed suicide early last week after reading vicious comments against her posted on Facebook.
National Chengchi University professor Huang Wei-wei (黃葳葳), head of the Institute of Watch Internet Network (iWIN), a government-funded organization that accepts various complaints over online comments and turns them over to administrative agencies, said iWIN was authorized by Article 46 of the Protection of Children and Youths Welfare and Rights Act (兒童及少年福利與權益保障法) to assist the government in ascertaining whether Internet platforms are able to abide by self-disciplinary rules.
“Platform operators are obligated to remove content suspected of violating the Protection of Children and Youths Welfare and Rights Act,” Huang said. “Restricted content must not be available on the same page as content for children and young people. They must also set up a gateway page before users access restricted content, informing users that they will be redirected to a different Web page.”
“Meanwhile, people requesting access to restricted content on a platform must be asked to log onto the platform first, and the platform must have a moderator to prevent certain users from posting irrational statements and abusing the platform at the expense of other users based on the site’s privacy terms,” she said.
However, Huang said that the government should incorporate issues related to Internet safety in primary-school textbooks, starting from the first grade.
“You cannot just teach children to go online or set up an account on Facebook without telling them how to use these tools wisely or avoid certain traps on the Internet,” Huang said, adding that the institute has produced many short video clips on verbal abuse over the Internet to educate the public about relevant issues.
Although many parents have asked the government to offer specific measures to address these issues, Huang cited many legal experts who have suggested that existing laws are sufficient in handling slanderous remarks made over the Internet.
She also said that some cyberbullying incidents happen simply because of children’s inability to control their emotions, adding that the institute wants to give young people the chance to correct their mistakes, lest they breach the Child and Youth Sexual Transaction Prevention Act (兒童及少年性交易防制條例).
“The point is that children know what they have done wrong and are willing to change. If you simply impose all these punishments on them, they could harbor more grievances and make more vicious comments online in retaliation,” she added.
Vice Premier Simon Chang (張善政) said in a forum on Tuesday that the government would be accused of manipulating public opinion if it proposes regulating online comments, adding that the legitimacy of such legislation must be supported by sufficient cases.
NATIONAL SECURITY: Authorities are working to confirm the identities of the military personnel involved and investigating possible illegal conduct and regulatory violations Authorities are probing possible national security implications after Kinmen police and immigration officers on Sunday found a Chinese woman allegedly posing as a tourist while engaging in prostitution involving more than 10 military personnel. The woman, surnamed Chen (陳), has since been deported, authorities said, adding that investigators are still working to confirm the identities of those implicated, as the records only listed code names and aliases. The case stemmed from a report received by the Kinmen District Prosecutors’ Office on Friday last week from the Jinhu Precinct of the Kinmen County Police Bureau. On Sunday, police, along with the National Immigration
GLOBALGIVING: ‘ Caving to external pressure is not acceptable for an organization that has cultivated justice reform and human rights for 30 years,’ one NGO said A slew of non-government organizations (NGOs) have withdrawn from the GlobalGiving fundraising platform after it announced it would use “Chinese Taipei” instead of “Taiwan” from next month. The Taiwan Good Rice Association wrote on Facebook on Friday that it was informed on April 28 via a teleconference call of the change, which was made because the platform wanted to operate in China. Taiwan Good Rice is to terminate all cooperative relationships with GlobalGiving in response to the platform’s “unilateral and non-negotiable” decision to remove references to Taiwan, the NGO said. “Taiwan is in the official name of Taiwan Good Rice Association and the
HEAVY WEATHER: Typhoon Jangmi is due to crash straight into the Ryukyus as airlines look to shift flights to larger aircraft or cancel flights to Okinawa entirely Taiwan’s international air carriers announced flight adjustments over the weekend as Typhoon Jangmi is forecast to hit the Ryukyu Islands today and tomorrow. The Central Weather Administration (CWA) upgraded Jangmi from a tropical storm to a typhoon at 8am yesterday, with the eye located 580km south of Naha city. It was moving north at 19kph. Today, China Airlines’ CI-120, CI-121, CI-122 and CI-123 flights between Taoyuan and Naha, Okinawa, have been canceled as well as CI-132 and CI-133 between Kaohsiung and Naha. EVA Air’s BR-112, BR-113, BR-186 and BR-185 flights between Taoyuan and Naha are also canceled. Low-cost carrier Tigerair Taiwan canceled IT-230,
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) yesterday briefed her party’s Central Standing Committee regarding her scheduled visit to the US between Monday next week and June 16, saying that her purpose would be to persuade the US that the Republic of China (ROC) Constitution was a “one China” constitution that would foster stable and peaceful cross-strait relations. The ROC Constitution is the most important defense for all Taiwanese citizens, as it upholds our democracy and has contributed to our robust economy, which aligns with international and US interests, she said. “We would not be troublemakers and drag the US under,”
RSS