Responding to Cyberbullying with Insults Generates Legal Liability
Experts warned that individuals exposed to cyberbullying on digital platforms responding with insults or threats may lead to legal sanctions.
Police officer Gülşen Ünsal, serving in the Cyber Crimes Branch Directorate of the Antalya Security Directorate, stated that individuals subjected to cyberbullying in the internet environment responding in the same manner with insults or threats can also create legal liability for themselves.
Cyberbullying and Risks
With the widespread use of the internet, cyberbullying and internet crimes encountered on social media platforms harbor significant risks, especially for children and youth.
Social media users can trigger this bullying by making humiliating, sarcastic, and degrading comments under the posts of people they know or do not know.
Legal Consequences of Retaliation
Children and youth exposed to cyberbullying sometimes reflexively send messages containing insults or threats to the other party, and such reactions directly constitute elements of a crime.
There is no legal difference between crimes committed in the physical environment and those committed in the virtual environment.
Correct Intervention Methods
Children and youth encountering cyberbullying should definitely not get into an argument with the other party, and should report and block the relevant account via the social media platform.
When encountering situations such as insults, threats, or blackmail, it is of great importance to apply to law enforcement agencies without wasting time.
Types of Crimes Committed on the Internet
While the types of crimes committed over the internet are gradually diversifying; insults, threats, blackmail, harassment, and fraud through informatics systems fall within this scope.
Violations of privacy, unlawful acquisition of personal data, illegal betting, and acts of inciting the public to hatred and hostility can also constitute crimes.