Amanda Todd and The Anonymous Case Study

In your view, should Amanda’s harasser be held accountable for the suicide of Amanda Todd? Do you see this as a case of corruption of a minor, even though the offense took place entirely online?

It is clear based on the Amanda Todd testimony that she was harassed by the anonymous people to a point that she could not bear it. The bully kept on following Amanda Todd from one school to another such that there was nowhere for her to hide (Dean, 2012). This must have disturbed the young girl a great deal. The picture provoked negative reaction from people around her such that she felt that the entire world knew about the photo and they hated her for it. This was considerably hard for a teenage girl who in the early stage of knowing the world and what it contains. I therefore believe that the harasser was the main cause of Amanda Todd suicide. Based on her tape, this could not have happened if the confidential photo remained confidential to the receiver. Using the photo to harass and ridicule her wherever she went distressed her and initiated hostility among other social media users and her peers in school. The act was also intentional and hence the harasser is totally responsible for Todd Suicide and hence he should be held accountable of Amanda Todd suicide.

Read also Can Amanda Todd’s Case Be considered as Legally Prosecutable Under “Conspiracy to Commit Harm, or Defame”

Corruption of a minor refers to any act that facilitates or promotes the corruption or prostitution of underage person to satisfy his or her lust. Based on the investigation, the harasser was 35 years old. This means that the harasser who is an adult, used internet to influence a minor to send him her half naked picture. To do this, the harasser must have tried to provoke her sexual desire and to build false trust through internet media. The initial intentions of asking for underage half naked picture was definitely for self-satisfaction.He then used this photo to promote child pornography and to harass Todd. Basically the harassment was sexually based and hence, I can consider this as a case of corruption of a minor. This is irrespective of whether the act happened online and not physically since the intention was to corrupt underage person without caring of the consequences through cyber bullying.

Do you believe the hacker group “Anonymous” should be protected, or held legally prosecutable for vigilantism and defamation?

I believe that the hacker group needs to be legally prosecuted for vigilantism and defamation. The group posted a half-naked picture of a minor to her peer especially in school groups. The hacker group was literally monitoring Todd, since it managed to post these photos to students of every school Todd transferred to in search of peace and hiding from shame and prejudice. This was a real act of vigilantism and I strongly feel that some members of the group knew Todd personally to be able to manage this. This following around defaming her among her schoolmates and teachers is the main reason Todd committed suicide. Probably, if the posting happened once, Todd could have tried to forget it and move on after the first transfer. However, they kept on harassing her, following her around. This made her feel unsafe, and monitored, and hence losing faith in finding peace ever in life. Their act made her believe that they will never stop. Having no way to identify them or to fight them, Todd was short of options. It is therefore important to prosecute the group for vigilantism and defamation. The group should not be protected for whatever reason. Use of children half naked picture promoted children pornography. Moreover, the case demonstrates high aspects of cyber bullying. Todd did not share her photo in social media, she had sent it privately to the harasser who decided to misuse the trust Todd had for him. Thus, it cannot be argued that the photo privacy was not guaranteed. Todd had trusted that the receiver will maintain the confidence assured, but decided to make fun of the situation. Thus, they should not be protected.

Consult Cyberbullying Research Summary: Cyberbullying and Suicide, then write your own original policy for governing this problem as a suggestion for school policies and how this issue should be both counseled and prevented.

Cyber bullying is a common problem among young people and it has been cited to be a major course of teen suicide or attempted suicide. To handle the situation, schools should educate students on what cyber bullying is, possible effect of cyber bullying on the victim and the perpetrator and how they should try to avoid it. Close supervision should be ensured while internet facilities are being used in school. School based social groups should be prohibited. Schools should only promote academic discussion forums that promote academic performance and not social groups which are likely to initiate cyber bullying. Students should be encouraged to report cases of cyber bullying to their parents, teachers or school psychologist based on who the child is comfortable with. Peers should also be encouraged to assist their shy friends to report cyber bullying. The school should keep records of children experiencing other mental or emotional disorders, among other children that are at high risk of committing suicide if bullied. Special monitoring should be done on this group of students to ensure that none of them is pushed to a level of committing suicide. Parents should be requested to regulate the use of internet among their children, especially by installing parental regulating program to limit sited the children access and their online social interaction (Hinduja& Patchin, 2010).

Get Your Custom Paper From Professional Writers. 100% Plagiarism Free, No AI Generated Content and Good Grade Guarantee. We Have Experts In All Subjects.

Place Your Order Now
Scroll to Top