I’m very glad that Jane Austen is to be depicted on the £10 note, following a campaign led Caroline Criado-Perez to ensure the inclusion of a notable woman. Much less welcome has been the abuse meted out to Criado-Perez on Twitter. I’ve seen Twitter accounts closed down, at least temporarily, following comparatively frivolous complaints, so the apparent lack of action over alleged rape threats is certainly worrying. But at the same time I’m also wary of more regulation, (including the new ‘porn filter’ proposed by David Cameron). There is already a ‘report user’ function on twitter, after all.
The internet is a dangerous place if you are impulsive. Here Padraig Reidy reports on a rather chilling story about a teenager who is now facing a ten year jail sentence because of a sick tweet.
During an argument with fellow gamers, in which doubts had been cast on his sanity, Carter posted:
“I’m f—ed in the head alright. I think I’ma shoot up a kindergarten and watch the blood of the innocent rain down and eat the beating heart of one of them.”
Not pleasant, no. Not particularly funny. But is it an actual threat? I really don’t think so.
A few years ago this horrible remark would have been spoken – and forgotten.
Returning to Criado-Perez’s campaign – I was intrigued by this post about female contenders to appeal on US dollar bills. I’d only heard of one of them, and wondered if HP readers could come up with any other suggestions.
