De Lille calls on government to regulate MXIT and Internet blogging
20-05-2007 ID President Patricia de Lille has called on Government to look into ‘urgently implementing legislation that will regulate MXIT and Internet blogging, where members of the public can with impunity slander and defame individuals and organisations they do not like.’
ID President Patricia de Lille has called on Government to look
into ‘urgently implementing legislation that will regulate MXIT and
Internet blogging, where members of the public can with impunity
slander and defame individuals and organisations they do not
like.’
De Lille’s comments follow a surge in activity among young
children on MXIT, which makes them vulnerable to sexual predators and
paedophiles.
The ID leader says she has been ‘horrified to hear daily stories
from people whose marriages have been destroyed and about children who
are led into situations where they are molested by grown men, who use
MXIT to lure these girls and boys into their traps.
‘We are already struggling to repair the social fabric of our
society, and to tolerate a platform for this kind of sexual predation
and deviance against our young children is inexcusable,’ De Lille
says.
The most recent MXIT crises is the circulation of pornographic
images of young girls.
‘This has gone too far and it is time for Government to intervene
to protect our most vulnerable. The right to freedom of expression is
not absolute,’ says De Lille.
Another worrying development in cyberspace is the abuse of
blogging, which allows anonymous individuals to post slanderous and
defamatory comments with impunity about anyone they choose, without the
legal consequences they would face in other more reputable print and
electronic media.
‘We recently came across a blog with slanderous comments about a
famous rugby player, a respected reverend in the church and a prominent
entertainer.
‘This blog also included one of our senior politicians, Councillor
Simon Grindrod. He reported this matter to the Caledon Square police on
Tuesday 15 May and they are currently investigating it,’ De Lille
says.
‘Because the problem is that we couldn’t trace the author of the
defamatory statements, we will also ask the NIA to investigate.
‘The reason why the ID cannot expose the website address and its
content is we will then also be responsible for spreading the
defamation and the slander against the reverend, the ex-Springbok rugby
player, the entertainer and the ID politician, amongst others,’ says De
Lille.
‘Our legal team has advised us that in terms of the law anyone who
republishes, reprints or rebroadcasts defamation of this nature
published on any blogging website, is liable for civil and criminal
action.
‘The only way to put a stop to this is to use every legal option
to hold not only the website, but also the perpetrator, responsible.
This kind of thing must not go unchallenged,’ De Lille says.
Released by ID President Patricia de Lille – 084 777
2065
