Measures to combat online targeting and shaming more effectively : Working group report

On 20 May 2020, the Ministry of the Interior appointed a working group to prepare three to five concise proposals for measures to combat online shaming more effectively. The working group examined online shaming broadly as an activity targeted at different authorities, decisionmakers, companies and opinion leaders.

The task of the working group was to examine the extent of online shaming, the position of victims of online shaming and the functioning of the existing legal safeguards, particularly from the perspective of support services for victims and activities of the police. The working group was not specifically tasked with examining legislation, but issues related to it were raised during the work.

The results and conclusions were compiled in a report (background memorandum), which describes the matters highlighted during the work in more detail.

The working group proposes the following measures. The means for implementing them are described in the report.

1. A research project will be carried out to determine the extent of online shaming and to obtain reliable information on the phenomenon. Obtaining reliable information requires a common definition, which is presented in this report.

2. The position of victims of online shaming and the realisation of their rights in police work will be improved.

3. Support provided for victims of online shaming will be improved.

4. Employers’ support for employees in the event of online shaming will be ensured by drawing up guidelines for situations where employees, freelancers or volunteers participating in the employer’s activities are subject to online shaming.