Two teenage boys in Helsingør may now think twice before they switch someone else’s Facebook profile picture to that of a penis or reveal their personal messages.
The boys in question were found guilty yesterday by the Helsingør Municipal Court of ‘Faceraping’ the account of a female teenage acquaintance and fined 2,000 and 4,000 kroner respectively.
‘Facerape’ occurs when another party gains access to someone’s Facebook profile and posts embarrassing status updates or changes information and pictures.
The girl reported the cyberbullying to her parents, who then contacted the police. The police then tracked down the IP address of the two pranksters, who were charged with revealing confidential correspondence, indecent exposure and other privacy violations.
Until now, the phenomenon has typically been viewed as a more or less innocent joke, but Trine Baumbach, who teaches law at the University of Copenhagen, says this case could change that perception.
“This is a reminder that the rules that apply outside of social media also apply to social media,” she told Frederiksborg Amts Avis.
The verdict, Baumbach reckoned, is likely to result in more cases of cyberbullying coming before the courts.
“This case reminds children and parents that harassment and cyberbullying are not something they have to put up with,” she said.
Experts had expressed surprise at the size of the fine, but Baumbach said she hopes young people will now begin to think before they post offensive content on their own or another’s profile.
“A joke or a prank can be so offensive that it is a criminal offence,” she said.
Kuno Sørensen, a psychologist with the Danish chapter of Save the Children, felt that all forms of bullying be treated equally.
“It is important not to treat it differently if it happens online,” he told Frederiksborg Amts Avis.
