Open in full screen mode On March 22, 2023, Peter Poncak admitted his guilt.
Nearly five years after sending the GIF in question, Peter Poncak left the bench of the Rivière-du-Loup courthouse to be taken behind bars. His sentence: nine months in prison and three years of probation, a sentence considered significant for this type of case. If published, this decision by Judge Luce Kennedy could set a precedent since it is one of the rare cases heard in the matter of cyberharassment.
Public health experts agree: whatever its nature, the impacts of cyberviolence are immense. Among the range of consequences: depression, suicidal ideation, anxiety, increased feelings of vulnerability, worsening health problems, personality changes, paranoia, substance abuse, etc. The list goes on.
And even if his case is settled in the eyes of the law, Sébastien Rioux feels a constant feeling of guilt. The documentary maker admits to feeling like an imposter in relation to his situation, which he considers to be privileged compared to that of women, who are more likely to be victims of cyberviolence.
A United Nations (UN) report published in 2015 (New window) indicates that women are 27 times more likely to be harassed on the web. Worldwide, 73% of female internet users have experienced some form of online violence.
Several women were also hesitant to tell us about their experiences with cyberbullying. It was, among other things, the fear of becoming targets again, of suffering the backlash of another wave of trolling, which motivated them to keep their story quiet.
They were probably right: in an interview, Sébastien Rioux admitted that his time on Everybody talks about it has completely rekindled the interest of new trolls.
It's worse than before, he admitted.
The cause which pitted Sébastien Rioux against Peter Poncak certainly made noise in due not only to the violence of the content that was filed as evidence, but also to the severity of the sentence imposed by Judge Kennedy.
However, it must be taken into account that the accused had a serious criminal record, which was considered one of the aggravating factors when negotiating the sentence, explains the prosecutor in the file to the Director of Criminal and Penal Prosecutions (DPCP), Me Camille St-Pierre.
However, in cases of online harassment, the fear instilled in the victim and the associated consequences are far from being underestimated, according to the prosecutor.
Regardless of the intention behind the words, behind what he did, [the fact remains] that he did it, that it is criminal and that this is unacceptable. No matter what name we give it — trolling or not — it is behavior that is criminal.
A quote from Me Camille St-Pierre, prosecutor at the DPCP
Despite the judicial option – where processes can be long and arduous – the fight against cyberharassment and cyberbullying must be a priority, experts say. Countries like France are well ahead of Canada in this regard.
For Jean-Michel Berthiaume, make online platform managers responsible to counter trolling — and all cyber violence — will be an uphill battle. And it comes down to governments.
The majority of people who engage in [trolling] behavior do not have a “breaking” moment. which allows them to [understand] that what they are doing is [bad and harmful], maintains the semiologist.
This illusion of power is a lure, a trap in fact, because in this feeling of power the limits that we cross become blurred. In this intoxication of power, we do not take this healthy break which would allow us to realize that we have gone too far.
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