JournalismPakistan.com | Published February 15, 2019
Join our WhatsApp channel
PARIS - France said on Thursday it is toughening its internet abuse laws after an outcry over young media executives who ran a macho “boys’ club” that bullied female colleagues online.
Two government ministers said new rules would be tabled before the end of June to force YouTube and social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter to pull hateful posts.
Eight journalists and public relations executives who belonged to the “League of LOL” Facebook group have either been suspended or stepped down this week since they were accused of targeting feminists and minority colleagues online.
The affair is being dubbed the “French media’s #MeToo”, with the closed group branded a “boys’ club” which harassed women online with pornographic memes and off-color jokes about rape culture.
France’s Digital Affairs Minister Mounir Mahjoubi, who described those behind the League of LOL as “losers,” said the government was also considering changing the legal status of social networks to make them face up to their responsibilities.
He said Facebook and Twitter’s existing status as sharing platforms “significantly limits their responsibility” for online abuse and harassment.
Mahjoubi said they could be reclassified somewhere between platforms and publishers, which would expose them to heavier fines and regulation, as already happens in neighboring Germany.
And he was particularly critical of Twitter.
“If we want to fight against harassment, platforms have to step up and invest, and today Twitter is not up to scratch,” he told France Inter radio.
Equality Minister Marlene Schiappa, who is working with Mahjoubi on the new rules, said earlier she was considering extending the six-year cut-off for prosecuting alleged crimes.
Under the law, as it stands, only online bullies who put up abusive posts after 2013 can be prosecuted under the statute of limitations.
Mahjoubi said Thursday that Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube had “particular responsibility” to act on online bullying and hate, and the new “legal and non-legal steps being considered to regulate the chain of hate” would oblige them to take down such content.
He said the reforms would be part of a package of online measures already being examined under a review ordered by President Emmanuel Macron.
The government wanted to protect online anonymity, but “it depends” on how it is used, he added.
“There are certain areas where we cannot go on having it, as in online petitions where there should be no anonymity,” Mahjoubi insisted.
The League of LOL scandal, which first surfaced at the weekend, continues to rock the French media, with many of its predominantly-male members apologizing for their behavior or for not speaking out.
Victims of the group recounted how the attacks and pranks had pushed one woman to quit journalism and left another suicidal.
In a separate episode, three journalists from the French edition of the Huffington Post news site were sacked on Monday for making “unacceptable remarks in a work context.”
Le Monde newspaper — which has a stake in the site — said the three were fired over their posts on another closed Facebook page. - AFP
April 11, 2025: Sindhi journalist AD Shar was brutally murdered in Khairpur, Sindh. His body was found dumped on Handiyari Link Road. PFUJ has declared a three-day mourning period and demanded justice.
April 10, 2025: The Azad Jammu and Kashmir government has filed a case against The Daily Jammu & Kashmir and its staff for alleged fake news, drawing condemnation from PFUJ and IFJ, who demand immediate withdrawal of the FIR and an end to media repression in Pakistan.
April 08, 2025: Journalist Arzoo Kazmi alleges that Pakistan's state agencies, including the FIA, have blocked her CNIC, passport, and bank account while threatening her. She calls it a direct attack on journalism.
April 07, 2025: The Islamabad High Court has directed IG Islamabad to produce journalist Ahmad Noorani’s missing brothers, as the Ministry of Defence denies custody. SIM activity was traced in Bahawalpur, and investigations into their suspected abduction continue.
April 07, 2025: Journalist and Raftar founder Farhan Mallick has been granted bail by a Karachi court in a case concerning anti-state content aired on his YouTube channel. He still faces separate charges related to an alleged illegal call center and data theft.
April 03, 2025: Veteran journalist Ghulam Abbas Shah has joined Discover Pakistan Television as the Head of Programming. With 25 years of experience in leading news organizations, he looks forward to contributing to quality storytelling and content.
April 02, 2025: The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) has strongly condemned the visit of a group of Pakistani journalists to Israel, calling it a violation of journalistic ethics and a betrayal of press freedom and human rights. PFUJ demands a transparent investigation into the matter.
March 30, 2025: Dawn criticizes Pakistan’s plan to use TV dramas against extremism, highlighting financial and digital challenges. Can media alone solve deep-rooted issues?
April 03, 2025 The International Press Institute (IPI) and International Media Support (IMS) invite nominations for the 2025 World Press Freedom Hero and Free Media Pioneer Awards. Recognizing courageous journalists and innovative media, the awards will be presented at IPI’s 75th-anniversary World Congress in Vienna. Submit your nominations by April 30, 2025.
April 01, 2025 Photojournalist Suresh Rajak was burned alive while covering a violent protest in Kathmandu. The IFJ and its affiliates condemn the attack and call for an urgent investigation to hold the perpetrators accountable.
April 01, 2025 Assam Police arrested digital journalist Dilwar Hussain Mozumder for covering a protest against alleged corruption at Assam Co-Operative Bank. Media organizations have condemned the arrest, calling it an attack on press freedom.
March 29, 2025 A federal judge has blocked the Trump administration’s attempt to dismantle Voice of America (VOA), ruling that the move likely violated legal procedures. The decision protects over 1,200 journalists and media staff.
March 28, 2025 Turkey deports BBC journalist Mark Lowen over 'public order' threat and fines opposition TV channels covering Istanbul Mayor's arrest. Critics condemn crackdown on press freedom amid rising political tensions.