What is an 'internet troll'?

[Brietta]

Because of Madeleine. It's as simple as that. As we  saw in May 2007 missing child cases generate the strongest emotions. That emotion still remains on the forums.

Are you under the impression that the trolls who excoriate her parents have the slightest regard for Madeleine McCann?

Indeed, they have resisted and campaigned and ridiculed every initiative made by her parents on her behalf.  I do not know what emotions they are expressing but among those missing are love, empathy and concern for Madeleine McCann.

Riding under a banner of "Justice for Madeleine" while conducting every campaign possible under the sun to derail those actually doing something to achieve just that is subscribing to duplicity.

[stephen25000]

Are you under the impression that the trolls who excoriate her parents have the slightest regard for Madeleine McCann?

Indeed, they have resisted and campaigned and ridiculed every initiative made by her parents on her behalf.  I do not know what emotions they are expressing but among those missing are love, empathy and concern for Madeleine McCann.

Riding under a banner of "Justice for Madeleine" while conducting every campaign possible under the sun to derail those actually doing something to achieve just that is subscribing to duplicity.

I would say exactly the same thing about the mccann supporting trolls.

All they're interested in is attacking those who don't believe the mccanns, and of course their chief target, Amaral.

[Lyall]

Are you under the impression that the trolls who excoriate her parents have the slightest regard for Madeleine McCann?

Indeed, they have resisted and campaigned and ridiculed every initiative made by her parents on her behalf.  I do not know what emotions they are expressing but among those missing are love, empathy and concern for Madeleine McCann.

Riding under a banner of "Justice for Madeleine" while conducting every campaign possible under the sun to derail those actually doing something to achieve just that is subscribing to duplicity.

You asked why they do what they do. It's a missing child case, and no more explanation is needed. These cases generate the strongest emotions.

[Brietta]

By normal people do you mean people who, unlike us, don't spend their time arguing on internet forums? I think they neither know much about this case or care. It's history for most, if they remember it at all.

This must be one for the book ... I agree with most of that ... with the exception that I think there are still many people who would like Madeleine's case brought to a satisfactory conclusion.

[G-Unit]

You can't throw it over to me. You originally said: I'm sure they'd prosecute if the McCanns wanted them to. I suggested why they may not want them to. You didn't give an opinion about why there have been no prosecutions (apart from the chap who published booklets), so it's you who still has explaining to do.

If they're as desirable to others as they are to you, why have there been no prosecutions?

If the McCanns decided to prosecute people writing about them on the internet it would generate publicity which wouldn't necessarily be helpful to the McCanns imo.

[Lyall]

If the McCanns decided to prosecute people writing about them on the internet it would generate publicity which wouldn't necessarily be helpful to the McCanns imo.

I think so too G. But Alfred apparently wants them anyway.

[G-Unit]

Are you under the impression that the trolls who excoriate her parents have the slightest regard for Madeleine McCann?

Indeed, they have resisted and campaigned and ridiculed every initiative made by her parents on her behalf.  I do not know what emotions they are expressing but among those missing are love, empathy and concern for Madeleine McCann.

Riding under a banner of "Justice for Madeleine" while conducting every campaign possible under the sun to derail those actually doing something to achieve just that is subscribing to duplicity.

It all depends on your viewpoint Brietta. You believe the abduction took place, that the McCanns are completely innocent and that Madeleine could be found. Others don't believe there was an abduction, they think the McCanns are hiding something and that Madeleine is unlikely to be found. Two opposing viewpoints. Attacking those who don't share your viewpoint is a waste of your time because it won't make any difference. Until (if) the case is solved no-one knows who's right and who's wrong.

[Eleanor]

Forget The McCanns for a minute.  What about just plain Trolling, attacking anyone who is in distress?
Something needs to be done.

[G-Unit]

This must be one for the book ... I agree with most of that ... with the exception that I think there are still many people who would like Madeleine's case brought to a satisfactory conclusion.

I agree. I wish they would bring the case to a conclusion. I may not agree about which conclusion is likely, of course.

[stephen25000]

Forget The McCanns for a minute.  What about just plain Trolling, attacking anyone who is in distress?
Something needs to be done.

What though ?

[Brietta]

If the McCanns decided to prosecute people writing about them on the internet it would generate publicity which wouldn't necessarily be helpful to the McCanns imo.

I disagree (back to normal then).

The Drs McCann have been involved in a libel trial in Portugal for a number of years.  This has taken up time and energy which could have been better spent in working in the search for their daughter and devoting more time to their other children, although this trial was a factor in that and had to be got out of the way for that reason.

I think the assessment might have been made that although an irritant the trolls have not actually been harming the search for Madeleine in the same way Mr Amaral's allegations have (bearing in mind his status in the case) and the trolls can be safely put on the back burner for the time being.

I think public opinion is against trolls of any description as more and more ordinary folk either have experience or know someone who has had experience of the misuse of social media being used to detrimental effect by them.

[Lyall]

Forget The McCanns for a minute.  What about just plain Trolling, attacking anyone who is in distress?
Something needs to be done.

Something is done. Occasionally. You should be asking the police and/or CPS why it's not done more often really.

[stephen25000]

I disagree (back to normal then).

The Drs McCann have been involved in a libel trial in Portugal for a number of years.  This has taken up time and energy which could have been better spent in working in the search for their daughter and devoting more time to their other children, although this trial was a factor in that and had to be got out of the way for that reason.

I think the assessment might have been made that although an irritant the trolls have not actually been harming the search for Madeleine in the same way Mr Amaral's allegations have (bearing in mind his status in the case) and the trolls can be safely put on the back burner for the time being.

I think public opinion is against trolls of any description as more and more ordinary folk either have experience or know someone who has had experience of the misuse of social media being used to detrimental effect by them.

I wonder if the public at large were aware of the trolls supporting the mccanns, what their attitude would be ?

[G-Unit]

Forget The McCanns for a minute.  What about just plain Trolling, attacking anyone who is in distress?
Something needs to be done.

The problem is, Eleanor, that there are several definitions of trolling. Some of them don't include 'attacking anyone who is in distress'. That's just your definition. Before anything can be done a firm definition has to be arrived at, one which everyone agrees on. Trolling isn't illegal and the police have said, I think, that the existing laws are fine to deal with people who break the law on the internet.

Here's a couple of definitions for you;

Urban Dictionary’s top rated definition for “trolling,” it can be defined as:

“Being a p***k on the internet because you can. Typically unleashing one or more cynical or sarcastic remarks on an innocent by-stander, because it's the internet and, hey, you can.”

Wikipedia defines it as:

"Someone who posts inflammatory, extraneous, or off-topic messages in an online community, such as a forum, chat room, or blog, with the primary intent of provoking readers into an emotional response or of otherwise disrupting normal on-topic discussion.”

[Lyall]

I disagree (back to normal then).

The Drs McCann have been involved in a libel trial in Portugal for a number of years.  This has taken up time and energy which could have been better spent in working in the search for their daughter and devoting more time to their other children, although this trial was a factor in that and had to be got out of the way for that reason.

I think the assessment might have been made that although an irritant the trolls have not actually been harming the search for Madeleine in the same way Mr Amaral's allegations have (bearing in mind his status in the case) and the trolls can be safely put on the back burner for the time being.

I think public opinion is against trolls of any description as more and more ordinary folk either have experience or know someone who has had experience of the misuse of social media being used to detrimental effect by them.

And the best thing to do about it was select someone randomly like Sky News?

You should be condemning them as much as we do.