“Annoying” Speech Online To Be Criminalized

Speech posted online that is considered to be an “annoyance” or “emotional distress” could result in seven years of prison time in Barbados according to new legislation currently under consideration.

Under the new Cybercrime Bill, the Barbados Senate would impose $70,000 BBD (approximately $35,000 US or £27,000) in fines and 7 years in prison for citizens that “publish, broadcast, or transmit data that is offensive” for the purpose of causing “annoyance, inconvenience,” “embarrassment, anxiety” or “substantial emotional distress.”

The ambiguous crimes of “malicious communications” and “cyberbullying” are also introduced through this bill. These “crimes” weaponizes the security apparatus to criminalize free expression in the name of “cybersecurity”.

The bill was adopted in the House of Assembly and was sent to a Joint Select Committee for further review.

The Committee, however, sought to increase the penalty to 10 years in prison and $100,000 BBD (approximately $50,000 USD).

Donald Leacock, a citizen of Barbados and social media influencer, spoke at the hearing on the various concerning elements within the legislation, stating:

“Freedom of expression is blatantly being stripped from us in this draconian cybercrime bill that the government of Barbados is forcing onto the citizens. This is evidenced by the fact that section 20 of the bill seeks to criminalise internet use that is considered to have caused anxiety or emotional distress with potential fines of up to $50,000, prison terms of up to 10 years, or both.”

“Should our citizens be thrown in jail for a decade simply for posting something online that the political elite can claim makes them ‘anxious’ or ’emotionally distressed’?”

Leacock went on to state:

“The law’s deliberately vague language leaves it open interpretation, and therefore, abuse… the government aims to intimidate us into forced silence. The objections to this bill are evident and widespread.”

Alliance Defending Freedom International is conducting recently went to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights to oppose the adoption of the censorial bill.

Conclusion

Laws which seek to criminalize speech, whether it be online or on the street, stand in violation of the God given right to free speech which governments are meant to protect, not dismantle.

Someone’s exercise of free speech will offend someone at some point in time, and that’s actually a good thing!

If we were all exposed to the exact same information and opinions, many people would think in one sole direction and that is what is dangerous for a society. This type of a society would die due to stagnation and what would that mean for the gospel?

As believers, it’s not enough to look at what is happening in the political sphere and file it away as “political.” No. Political matters affect the church and that is why we must understand the global agenda at play to censor speech which would prohibit the freedom we now have to freely gather and share the truth of God’s Word.

Today Barbados, tomorrow…?

Let it not be our country and it is us, the body of Christ, who can be the prevention of further decay.

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