back to article Australian tabloid decides to fight trolls ... with trolls

Australian tabloid newspaper The Daily Telegraph has started a campaign to “Stop the trolls”. The campaign's roots lie in recent incidents that saw a reality television hostess' Twitter account subjected to ridicule and a Rugby League footballer's account receive vile comments about his recently-deceased mother. The …

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  1. Suricou Raven

    It's just like everything else in society then.

    It's only a crime when the little people do it.

    1. LarsG
      Meh

      Life is full

      Life is full of hard knocks, if you put yourself out there and demand adoration expect the sh*t that comes with it.

      There is a thing such as free speech which the last Government tried to silence by attacking anyone who had an opinion different from them.

      The bottom line is this, in life you will meet people you like and don't like, people who are nice and people who are ars*holes. Get used to it.

      1. Kwac
        Devil

        Re: Life is full

        Why pick on the last government of whichever country you're from - isn't it standard practice amongst all politicians?

        1. LarsG

          Re: Life is full

          True but in the UK they became the masters at it.

      2. Arctic fox

        Re:"people who are nice and people who are ars*holes."

        I agree with what the author is saying about the pointlessness/undesirability of the suggested legislation against trolling in general and I agree up to a point with what you have posted. I would simply point out that in real life arseholes are generally a little more cautious about what they say, when they say it and to whom - after all a smack in the mouth is not a very pleasant experience even for trolls. My personal reaction to the seriously nasty kind of trolling we sometimes see on the net is a strong feeling of contempt for the cowardice these arseholes display. I am not sure I feel like having to get "used to" some pig commenting on someone from my family who has just died (referred to in the article). I would not demand legislation, of course not. However, "used to it"? No, I feel no such inclination and if the identity of troll concerned were known to me and he came within in hand's reach he might very well discover just how "unused to it" I am prepared to feel.

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: people who are nice and people who are ars*holes."

          I'm not going to denigrate the humble pig, but if some such person I could identify badmouthed my recently bereaved, I'd be up on a murder charge. And happy to do the time.

          1. Anonymous Coward
            Anonymous Coward

            Re: people who are nice and people who are ars*holes."

            "my recently bereaved" - you know what I mean. But it works this way too.

          2. Anonymous Coward
            Anonymous Coward

            Re: people who are nice and people who are ars*holes."

            That would be a thumbs down from someone who hasn't been bereaved, or is just too chickenshit not to be a menial of the State.

      3. Francis Boyle Silver badge

        Re: Life is full

        Shorter LarsG; "harden the fuck up because I will never be one of the vulnerable".

  2. Kubla Cant
    Childcatcher

    Foll-de-roll

    Former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has declared “The time has come for us to build a bridge over the trolls."

    The three billy-goats gruff will enjoy that.

    (A reference only likely to be significant to people old enough to have listened to BBC radio on Saturday mornings in the 1960s.)

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Foll-de-roll

      Or someone who reads, or someone who watches tv, or someone with kids, or someone who was a kid, or ..

    2. Arctic fox
      Headmaster

      Re:"A reference only likely to be significant to people................"

      Also just about every child in Norway, Sweden and Denmark where is has been a much loved fairy tale for a very long time. In Norway (where it is believed to have originated) it is known as "De tre bukkene Bruse" and belonged to the oral tradition being first set down in writing in the early 1840s by Peter Christen Asbjørnsen and Jørgen Moe. Indeed it is generally regarded as one of the most popular and well known fairy tales in the Germanic language group's (basically covers most of Northern and Western Europe) entire folk-tale canon.

      1. Kubla Cant
        Unhappy

        Re: A reference only likely to be significant to people................"

        Presumably I attracted downvotes because I included the explanatory gloss. Sorry, people, I only knew the story from a record that was played interminably in my childhood. I didn't know it was a classic of folklore, nor that it was still being played.

        1. Arctic fox
          Happy

          Re: A reference only likely to be significant to people................"

          I freely admit that I had the advantage of having a Norwegian mother who told me those tales in Norwegian (I was born and grew up in England) when I was a very little chap. She actually had a second edition of Asbjørnsen and Moe's collection of folk-tales which she read from to me. I will admit that at that age I occasionally felt sorry for the troll who usually was made a fool or came to a sticky end.

    3. Kane
      Joke

      Re: Foll-de-roll

      Former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has declared “The time has come for us to build a bridge over the trolls."

      But isn't this where trolls live? Under bridges? Are they trying to attract more trolls? Are they trying to establish a new social housing project for them or something?

      1. auburnman
        Joke

        Re: Foll-de-roll

        That might actually be an interesting punishment if someone were to be convicted of online hate speech or whatever the crime actually is. "Right mate, you wanted to be a troll, well you live under this bridge now. We've taken the liberty of dumping all your possesions under there already. There's no power outlet for your PC but that's no problem 'cos it'll be nicked by tomorrow. I'd hurry up and grab your coats, gets quite chilly at night..."

  3. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    I'll bet the tweets where twitted using an idiotPhone.

    1. LaeMing
      FAIL

      Effort: Poor.

      That wasn't a troll. It was barely a gnome.

  4. disgruntled yank

    Not above Australian law.

    Will there be a kangaroo court?

  5. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    “The time has come for us to build a bridge over the trolls."

    Er, make them feel at home?

    1. P. Lee
      Trollface

      Re: “The time has come for us to build a bridge over the trolls."

      Is the water underneath troubled too?

  6. J. Cook Silver badge
    Trollface

    Hmmm...

    Looks like a bout of meta-trolling, perhaps?

    <----- Anon does this waaaay better than me. :D

  7. LinkOfHyrule
    Trollface

    I have the soultion to this

    Just ignore the trolls.

    You should ignore what I just said I was trolling.

  8. tkioz
    Trollface

    /sigh

    Like anyone else whose been online for more then 5mins and done more then visit Facebook and Twitter I know the best way to kill trolls is to stop feeding them!

    Giving them this kind of attention is exactly what they want, they want you upset, they want that reaction...

    I despair of my country sometimes, I really do...

    1. Steven Raith
      Thumb Up

      "Like anyone else whose been online for more then 5mins and done more then visit Facebook and Twitter I know the best way to kill trolls is to stop feeding them!"

      Unless it's funny, in which case, gorge them with cake.

      1. Peter2 Silver badge

        Administrators know better.

        The best way to deal with trolls is to leave them for a month or thereabouts so you get IP's for their home, their phone and school/work. Then with great satisfaction and some malice (having given them plenty of rope) you click on the "BAN USER" link.

        Doing so improves the standard of discussion and therefore encourages more people to get involved which means more traffic.

        And yes, we know about Proxies. So 1980's.

    2. Jedit Silver badge
      Devil

      "the best way to kill trolls is to stop feeding them!"

      Actually, the *best* way to kill trolls involves several sheets of coarse sandpaper, a flensing knife, a bottle of Dave's Insanity Sauce and several large rats. However, in this civilised era we frown upon such behaviour - chiefly as it's hard to get the stains out of the carpet - and so we go for the second best option.

      Still, those were the days. <sighs nostalgically>

  9. BlueGreen

    The Reg criticising another's breathtaking irony?

    Here today "The iPHONE 5 UNDERMINES western DEMOCRACY: 5 reasons why owning one will be the badge of an utter fool" and its ilk on most every day before it.

    Oh, you want eyeballs like the drivelpress wants readers so you use the same trolly tricks? So canny!

  10. mika7367
    Alien

    So sad

    I see this all the time over here in the (Lucky Country?), anyway I'd better finish fixing this server before the rest of the country wakes up Yawn! Zzzzzzzz.......

  11. oldredlion
    Facepalm

    A Perpetual content machine

    to generate page after page of tedious drivel.

    Do not feed the Trolls.

  12. ted b
    Facepalm

    colloquialism, colonism, bastardism

    Yeer G'day, welcome to Awwstraalee ya mate!

    Wot r ya?Howzit goin

    Where all the Trolls eat Vegemite sandwidges and have all ready eaten all the Tazzie devils and are now dippin the last of the Yowies in the juice of a few yabbies on the barbie.

    No not the the Barbara Streisand thousand island dipping sauce. That's likely to be the real sauce this news item will open.

    There are more Troll acolytes peer sq foot in Aussie, than cans of Four X and Fosters together.

    They all have the nationalistic fervorish/ feverish name of Ned A C, wear Iron helmets with eye holes( not the usual tin foil ya understand) and would take trolling to the next Olympics if they could get to an IOC official in the Outback.

    This "item" has the scent of another agenda to the article. Hmm... and its getting sophisticated if it requires two straw men on the front page to get it to kick off.

    All on the trail of Snowy River.

    Bonzer, blard bonzer th'air Sport, ewe bute, just corka.

    I fink a dingo just swallered my Skippy.

    Me neigh-bour phar lapped 'im, fair go!

    Haw Haw using the Kyle quote!

    Looks like ya had a Budgie on the right shoulder, and Galah on the left and judgin by the smile on yer face you also had a Cockatoo in a bird box as well!

    Good on ya!. ya li'ddle rippa!

    1. Veldan

      Re: colloquialism, colonism, bastardism

      Stop giving me the raw prawn sunshine, what kind of drongo do I look like to you?

    2. Steven Roper
      Pint

      I would hazard a guess...

      ...that you are not an Australian.

      The jury's out on whether you've ever actually been here, but I'm pretty damn sure you've never lived here!

      Here's a clue if you want to come across as an Aussie: Nobody here drinks Fosters. Nobody.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Pint

        Re: I would hazard a guess...

        You mean you drink real beer?

        Next I'd like to read that no-one in the States drinks Budweiser (though back in the day, Alice Cooper claimed they drank it by the caseload - but then, you can, can't you).

        Anyone remember 'Colt 45'? I think they got the idea for that from Catch 22's 'Soldier in White'.

        You can tell an awful lot about a nation by the beer they drink. Or anyway you can confirm your stereotypes with it. Meanwhile, expanding on the subject of Fosters: I did enjoy 'it's Jackson Pollocks', but wonder if 'Can you tell me way to Cockfosters?' would be considered racist nowadays?

  13. Aussie Brusader
    Go

    I haven't picked up a printed newspaper in ages

    Sounds like they're desperate for readers...

  14. toadwarrior

    For a country full of danger animals and the reputation they get for being hard, I think australians are a bunch of little pussies.

    Whether it's video games or the internet or whatever, they want to censor and regulate it like a bunch of nazis because bad parents can be bother to look after their stupid child.

  15. Arachnoid
    Trollface

    Gutter journalism complaining about trolling, what is the world coming to

  16. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    "Twitter has, of course, exploded."

    Aww, I was hoping you meant that literally. Instead it appears that the mindless Twitter-arty have just reacted in their usual knee-jerk (ooh look, a bandwagon) kinda way, in this misguided belief that their opinions in some way actually matter.

    p.s.

    Yes, I am aware of the irony of posting on here about other people's opinions not mattering when, in fact, mine doesn't either.

  17. auburnman
    Devil

    Actually I seem to recall...

    The BEST best way to deal with trolls is to make them internet famous by getting someone like the guys at Penny Arcade to call them out for their behaviour, then sit back and watch as the trolls turn on one of their own with a vengeance.

  18. JaitcH
    FAIL

    It's simple. just ignore whatever

    Some parents think the governments should ban / censor material / web sites they don't care for., just avoid them.

    Someone calls you a name, the only way a name caller gets a rise is if you react. So don't react.

    I moderate some and administer others, for a total of 41, chat rooms. I ignore all the barbs, threats, etc. and even the most dedicated give up after a while.

    They should doing this with Twitter. We don't need any more nanny rules.

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