Police in the UK are arresting about 33 individuals per day for posting offensive messages on-line underneath legal guidelines just like the Communications Act 2003 and the Malicious Communications Act 1988, which goal messages inflicting misery or deemed “grossly offensive.” In 2023, the most recent 12 months for which information can be found, police arrested 12,183 individuals for posting offensive messages—up 58 p.c from 2019. Regardless of the excessive arrest numbers, convictions have dropped by practically half since 2015, with just one,119 sentenced in 2023, typically as a consequence of lack of cooperation from the sufferer or points with proof. Critics, together with the Free Speech Union, spotlight instances like a pair detained for school-related emails and a person convicted for an offensive Halloween costume, warning that such arrests waste assets and will hurt free expression. Police defend their actions as lawful however typically admit to heavy-handed approaches.
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