CANBERRA, May 5 (Xinhua): Australians caught abusing or harassing people online will face up to five years imprisonment under laws proposed by the nation's Prime Minister Scott Morrison.
According to the Guardian Australia, Morrison declared on Sunday that "trolls have no place in Australia," pledging a crackdown on social media bullies if he wins the general election on May 18.
Under current laws, those caught using social media to harass or cause offense to face a maximum of three years of jail time.
Morrison's proposed online safety act would increase the maximum to five years while also requiring online applications, games, and services to protect their users with strict privacy and safety settings for children.
He said that nobody should be subjected to abuse or harassment "whether they are in the online or offline world."
"As a dad, I know first-hand how anxious parents feel about what their kids see and do online and the dangers the internet can bring," he said.
"Online trolls have no place in Australia and I promise to bring in new laws to protect our kids and keep our community safe.
"We need the law to keep pace with technology and I want to ensure the courts reflect community expectations about the seriousness of online harassment, abuse and crime."
If victorious on May 18, Morrison said he would discuss the new laws with world leaders at the G20 meeting in Tokyo in June where he will also discuss regulating social media platforms.
