Authorities in Laos have set up a new mechanism for dealing with cyberbullying and online harassment following an increase in defamation and slander via social media.
Lao Minister of Post and Telecommunications, Dr. Thansamay Kommasith, signed a new ministerial regulation last month authorizing the Lao Computer Emergency Response Team (Lao CERT) to receive complaints from those who have been defamed.
The new regulations allow victims of online harassment or cyberbullying to report their complaints directly to Lao CERT.
Victims can also file criminal charges against the accused at police stations, which will result in authorities opening an official investigation.
The new cyberbullying report mechanism comes in response to a growing number of people using social media as a platform for defamation and slander. The new regulations allow victims a means of recourse, ensuring a proper means of addressing the problem.
Local daily the Vientiane Times reports that the Ministry of Post and Telecommunications is urging social media users in Laos to behave properly online and be mindful of their actions.
It also hopes to remind internet users to thoroughly check news sources to avoid spreading fake news
Laos opened the country’s first digital forensics lab last year, allowing authorities to analyze more than 2,000 digital media-related criminal cases per year.
It allows investigators to identify, transport, recover, analyze and preserve digital evidence resulting from criminal cases and present this evidence in court.
Victims of cyberbully can contact Lao CERT via email at report@laocert.gov.la or by phone on +856-21-254508, +856-30-576422.