Weekly News Digest
産経オンライン英会話 ニュースディスカッション教材
At times, words become weapons and cause violence. Anonymous online slander can turn especially malicious and brutal, and when it spreads over the internet, it can take on the form of cyberbullying.
Professional female wrestler Hana Kimura passed away on May 23. She was 22 years old.
Kimura was a cast member on Fuji TV’s popular reality show, Terrace House (canceled after her death). She was being bombarded with hateful comments on social media, mostly due to something she had said as part of the program to another member on the show.
What were believed to be suicide notes were found in her home. However much Kimura played a villain or showed strength as a pro wrestler, in the end she was just a young woman who was no longer able to tolerate the barrage of virulent bullying aimed at her.
Originally, there was optimism that those engaging in online gossip and slander with bad intentions would eventually be caught and the bullying curtailed. Unfortunately, that has not been the case. Malice has been aimed not only at public figures. With just the smallest incidents, anyone, even children, can become victims of cyberbullying. The current situation cannot be allowed to continue.
In 2019, a Japanese female celebrity shared a powerful quote: “If you follow the proper procedures, there is no anonymity on the internet.”
After three years of receiving intense online slander, the celebrity, through her lawyer, requested disclosure of the identity of those who had made the malicious postings under the “Provider Liability Limitation Act.” As a result, those who sent the comments were identified and charges were brought against two people on suspicion of defamation.
However, the identification disclosure procedures under the Act are time consuming and sometimes it is not possible to determine the identity of the offenders. For this reason, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications is considering reevaluation of the law’s provisions.
Communications Minister Sanae Takaichi stated on May 26 that reform of the system would be carried out “with all due speed” in order to make it easier to identify those posting the offensive comments.
The social media industry is also making moves. Japanese subsidiaries of free messaging app providers — such as Twitter, Facebook, and LINE — have come together to form an organization called “SMAJ,” which aims to improve the social media usage environment. The group promises to take measures against such problems as the sexual victimization of children and the spread of false information. These businesses need to take the initiative to eradicate malicious intent in online posts.
That is not to say that all online anonymity should be eliminated. Anonymity with good intentions can be a beautiful thing, but hiding behind anonymity in order to hurt others is inhumane.
The same applies to excessive self-restraint policing and hate acts on the internet. To maintain a user-friendly online environment, certain curbs and regulatory measures are a
necessity.
言葉は時に凶器となり暴力そのものとなる。特にインターネット上の匿名によるそれは、陰湿で残酷になりやすく、拡散すれば集団リンチの様相を呈する。
女子プロレスラーの木村花さんが亡くなった。２２歳だった。
フジテレビの人気番組「テラスハウス」に出演しており、番組中の言動に、会員制交流サイト（ＳＮＳ）上で誹謗（ひぼう）中傷が集中していた。
木村さんの自宅からは遺書とみられるメモが見つかった。プロレスラーとしてどれほど悪役や強者を演じても、一人の若い女性として、悪意の集中砲火に耐えられなかったのだろう。
ネット上の流言や中傷などについては当初、悪貨は次第に駆逐、淘汰（とうた）されるとの、楽観的な観測もあった。残念ながら、そうはなっていない。悪意の対象は、必ずしも著名人とは限らない。ほんの些細（ささい）なきっかけで、子供を含む、誰もが被害者となり得る。現状を放置してはならない。
昨秋、女性タレントが名言を残した。「きちんと手続きすれば、ネットに匿名はない」である。
３年にわたりネット上で激しい中傷を受け続けた彼女は、弁護士を通じて「プロバイダ責任制限法」に基づく発信者情報開示を請求して投稿者を特定し、２人が侮辱容疑で書類送検された。
ただ同法による情報開示手続きは時間がかかり、投稿者を特定できない事例もあることから、総務省で見直しを検討している。
高市早苗総務相は２６日、発信者の特定を容易にするための制度改正を「スピード感を持って行う」と述べた。
業界にも動きがある。ツイッター、フェイスブック、ラインなどを運営する日本法人などインターネット事業者は「ソーシャルメディア利用環境整備機構」を設立した。児童の性被害や誤情報の拡散などの問題に対処するためだ。ネット空間から悪意を排除するには事業者の主体的な取り組みが欠かせない。
匿名の全てを取り締まれとは、いっていない。善意の匿名は美しい。ただ、匿名の陰に隠れて人を傷つける行為は卑劣である。
ネット上にみられる行き過ぎた「自粛警察」や、ヘイト行為も同様だ。ＳＮＳの利便性を保つためにも一定のルールや歯止め策が必要である。