While the country has been calling for justice for a seven-year-old rape victim, a pupil at Bergview College in the Eastern Cape, some social media users posted vile and inappropriate comments about the minor.
Dr Edgar Malatji, a social media expert from the department of communication science at the University of SA, spoke to TimesLIVE's sister publication Sowetan about how individuals can land themselves in trouble.
Sowetan: What legal implications could arise from reckless online content?
Malatji: These kinds of posts perpetuate crime against vulnerable people, particularly a minor in this case. That, on its own, can land a person in trouble with the law. In this case, the Harassment Act of 2011 comes into play. A section is against any comments or posts that perpetuate sexual violation, particularly against minors.
Sowetan: Can a person be arrested and charged?
Yes, the person could face jail time. In this case, there's a criminal case under way and anything that might suggest you are promoting distasteful acts can land you in trouble with the law. If you can write such a post that means you can also harm children.
Sowetan: Can posting affect a person's employment prospects?
Malatji: Yes. Some institutions and companies do social media background checks. They screen your social media posts and if what you post perpetuates xenophobia, racism and blasphemy, that will affect you because it says a lot about how you think and how you conduct yourself and your worldview about other groups. For someone it might be interesting and entertaining but it is harmful and can have an adverse effect on your employment prospects.
Sowetan: Can police act without anyone opening a case?
Malatji: A member of the public would have to open a case and bring forward screenshots as evidence because the posts might be deleted at some stage. Sometimes it is difficult for law enforcement to check these kind of posts and verify if the person who is accused is the one who posted. There are also people who use parody accounts and it might be difficult to find the real person behind the posts. We call those people desktop warriors.
SowetanLIVE
The Quick Interview | You can be arrested for vile, reckless posts, says expert
Image: SUPPLIED
While the country has been calling for justice for a seven-year-old rape victim, a pupil at Bergview College in the Eastern Cape, some social media users posted vile and inappropriate comments about the minor.
Dr Edgar Malatji, a social media expert from the department of communication science at the University of SA, spoke to TimesLIVE's sister publication Sowetan about how individuals can land themselves in trouble.
Sowetan: What legal implications could arise from reckless online content?
Malatji: These kinds of posts perpetuate crime against vulnerable people, particularly a minor in this case. That, on its own, can land a person in trouble with the law. In this case, the Harassment Act of 2011 comes into play. A section is against any comments or posts that perpetuate sexual violation, particularly against minors.
Sowetan: Can a person be arrested and charged?
Yes, the person could face jail time. In this case, there's a criminal case under way and anything that might suggest you are promoting distasteful acts can land you in trouble with the law. If you can write such a post that means you can also harm children.
Sowetan: Can posting affect a person's employment prospects?
Malatji: Yes. Some institutions and companies do social media background checks. They screen your social media posts and if what you post perpetuates xenophobia, racism and blasphemy, that will affect you because it says a lot about how you think and how you conduct yourself and your worldview about other groups. For someone it might be interesting and entertaining but it is harmful and can have an adverse effect on your employment prospects.
Sowetan: Can police act without anyone opening a case?
Malatji: A member of the public would have to open a case and bring forward screenshots as evidence because the posts might be deleted at some stage. Sometimes it is difficult for law enforcement to check these kind of posts and verify if the person who is accused is the one who posted. There are also people who use parody accounts and it might be difficult to find the real person behind the posts. We call those people desktop warriors.
SowetanLIVE
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