The Trinidad and Tobago government has hinted at introducing legislation to curb the activities of social media users who post gory and irresponsible videos, comments and photographs to create sensation and instill fear and panic.
Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi says he is taking to Cabinet on Thursday legislation to amend the Cybercrime Bill to deal with reckless users who he said are now out of control in sharing unverified information.
Al-Rawi speaking at the Association of Real Estate Agents’ meeting on Tuesday, said the bill is intended to stop the abusers of social media who “plaster things” on Facebook without verification.
He told the audience that the Cybercrime Bill, which the LRC (Legislative Review Committee), has completed would be going to Cabinet this Thursday.
“Our society runs the risk of being deemed to be very much, in lost measure…out of control,” he said, citing “the irresponsibility that is exercised without any regard for the consequence of families…or to children or persons who are victims or to just create panic and fear.”
Al-Rawi’s plan comes in the wake of complaints by acting Police Commissioner Stephen Williams, that such posts, in the face of a spiralling murder rate, was creating a logistical headache for the police, who often have to go out to check the veracity of such postings.
Al-Rawi described some of the content put on social media as “astounding.
