DPP to tackle troll abuse with Twitter and Facebook chiefs

Britain's top prosecutor will meet Facebook bosses and Twitter users next week in a new bid to decide when charges should be brought over online comments.

Keir Starmer QC, the Director of Public Prosecutions, will ask the social media experts for their opinions on the limits to free speech at a series of summits in London called in the wake of Twitter abuse cases — including one involving Olympic diver Tom Daley.

Among the issues is whether people who “retweet” unlawful threats or other criminal messages should be prosecuted.

Mr Starmer will also ask whether action should be taken against social media users living abroad who direct their malicious posts at Britons and whether internet firms should do more to monitor content on their sites.

The aim is to help prosecutors draw up guidelines on dealing with offensive, malicious or threatening remarks posted online. Mr Starmer — who has also invited lawyers, journalists, police and civil liberties campaigners to give their views — has said he wants to set a “high threshold” for taking action, but warned that charges will be brought over “serious wrongdoing”.

He suggests that charges should be “less likely” when a message is intended to be humorous or a one-off and when it was not intended to be seen by the person to whom it refers.

He questions whether “it is the business of the police and prosecutors to protect the sensibilities of individuals or groups” against “bad taste”, but warns that charges remain “more likely” when online comments are part of a “campaign of harassment” or incite racial, religious or homophobic hatred.

Last month Mr Starmer decided not to prosecute a semi-professional footballer who posted a homophobic message about Daley because although it was “offensive, misguided and naive”, it had been intended to be humorous and to be seen only by the footballer’s family and friends.