Sticks and Stones Will Break My Euros

Abstract

“Sticks and Stones” is a well-known adage that means that whatever nasty things people say, they will not physically harm one. This is not often the case, as bullying, especially via the Internet, can be quite harmful. There are few anti-bullying laws emanating from the European Union, which is a trading block of 28 member states that have pooled their sovereignty in order to have common laws and practices to boost trade and peace. However, the common legal rules that exist in the EU have implications for those who run websites, including relating to cyber-bullying. These people, known as systems operators, or sysops, can be limited in the powers they have and rules they make through “sysop prerogative.” Sysop prerogative means that a systems operator can do anything which has been permitted or not taken away by statute, or which they have not given away by contract. This chapter reviews how the different legal systems in Europe impact on sysops and change the way in which sysop prerogative can be exercised. This includes not just from the EU legal structure, but equally the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), which also has implications for sysops in the way they conduct their activities.