Editorial: No black hole for keyboard cowards

I recently expressed a view that I could not wait for the first prosecution of a cyber bully under new laws being introduced in New Zealand.

In the space of a few short weeks, I have come to the conclusion I was naive to think that these laws will help.

Having removed what feels like the umpteenth inappropriate comment from our website, it has become clear that the responsibility for controlling cyber bullies lies with editors. Or regulators of sites such as Facebook.

We have become the de facto police of the written online word.

Except that editors only work within their respective domains. Elsewhere, anarchy reigns.

The seemingly infinite freedom of speech that the web has given the world is not an entirely good thing.

Along with allowing the repressed and downtrodden to have their view aired, it has given cowards and bullies a platform.

Before, these people did not express their bigoted discrimination widely.

As free speech allows, it did get expressed - but was largely repressed by society. Generally, the bullies crawled back into their hole.

On line - there is no hole. Other than the one anonymous cowards are pouring through, with their vitriolic bile.

If tolerance of cyber bullying grows on-line, it will grow in everyday life.

In the meantime, we have tough new cyber bully laws coming but no organised online police officers.

In some ways, the existing ad hoc scenario is akin to expecting Dad's Army to repel Hitler.

The internet will contribute positively to society this century. But we still need our churches, our sports and interest clubs. Healthy communities will consist of a balance of shrewd use of modern-day technology, and old-fashioned community organisations and groups.

Organisations that encourage human interaction and communication, rather than anonymous sniping from a keyboard.