Review of the Topic

We have discussed the different types of legal responses that apply to online abuse in sport, from criminal actions that involve the state taking action against perpetrators of a crime to protect society, to civil cases where an individual initiates legal action in relation to an individual dispute, and administrative cases where governmental agencies, boards and commissions are held to account.

As we have seen, tackling online abuse through legal action is a complicated issue that must navigate the challenges posed by jurisdictional boundaries and penalising individuals or entities that are located in other countries as well as balancing the rights of citizens to freedom of expression and individual rights to privacy and freedom from harm.

There are a significant number of legal options available in terms of prosecuting online abuse, however despite all these legal options it can be difficult to prosecute. In week three we will review additional challenges that make online abuse difficult to tackle such as anonymity and enforcement and consider some of the other stakeholders who have a role to play in preventing and protecting society from online abuse.