Patyčių kibernetinėje erdvėje teisinio reglamentavimo Lietuvoje problematika
Lazdauskas, Šarūnas |
Baigiamajame darbe „Patyčių kibernetinėje erdvėje teisinio reglamentavimo Lietuvoje problematika“ gilinamasi į patyčių kibernetinėje erdvėje teisinio reguliavimo ypatumus. Informacinių ir komunikacinių technologijų įsigalėjimas šiuolaikinėje visuomenėje daugeliu atvejų panaikino griežtas ribas tarp realaus ir virtualaus pasaulių, tuo pačiu iškeldamas būtinybę iš naujo peržiūrėti, įvertinti ir reglamentuoti asmenų elgesio, įskaitant ir patyčias, elektroninėje erdvėje reikalavimus. Nors Lietuvos teisės aktuose apibrėžtos patyčių ir patyčių kibernetinėje erdvėje sąvokos, tačiau atskiro reglamentavimo, kaip tokio tipo patyčios turėtų būti užkardomos, kokia ir kaip už jas turėtų būti taikoma teisinė atsakomybė, pasigendama. Kalbant apie kibernetinių patyčių prevenciją ir atsakomybės už jas taikymą ne iki galo atsižvelgiama į patyčių kibernetinėje erdvėje specifiškumą ir sukeliamas ypatingai žalingas pasekmes. Nors tam tikri įstatymai iš dalies kriminalizuoja veiksmus, kurie gali būti priskiriami prie patyčių, tačiau pagrindiniai Lietuvos teisės aktai nenumato atskiros atsakomybės už tokią veiką kaip patyčios elektroninėje erdvėje. Kibernetinių patyčių, kaip atskiros nusikalstamos veikos įtvirtinimo teisės normose nebuvimas, gali įnešti sumaišties tiek į teisės teorijos mokslą, tiek į teisės taikymo praktiką. Šiuo atveju gali būti susiduriama su skirtingu Lietuvos teisės aktų nuostatų, susijusių su patyčiomis kibernetinėje erdvėje, aiškinimu ir interpretavimu, sudaromos prielaidos netinkamai taikyti teisinę atsakomybę, apsunkinamos įrodymų surinkimo ir vertinimo kibernetinių patyčių bylose galimybės bei teismų praktikos šioje srityje formavimasis. Darbo tikslas – atskleisti patyčių kibernetinėje erdvėje teisinio reglamentavimo Lietuvoje problematiką, išanalizuojant patyčių kibernetinėje erdvėje teorinius aspektus ir nacionalinių teisės aktų normų bei teismų praktikos šiame kontekste ypatumus. Darbe atkleista patyčių kibernetinėje erdvėje samprata, ypatumai ir reglamentavimo prielaidos, išanalizuotos patyčių kibernetinėje erdvėje teisinio reglamentavimo Lietuvoje nuostatos, atlikta atsakomybės už patyčias kibernetinėje erdvėje taikymą Lietuvos teismų praktikoje apžvalga. Darbas parengtas remiantis mokslinės literatūros, internetinių šaltinių, teisės aktų ir kitų dokumentų analizės, sisteminimo ir apibendrinimo metodais.
The final thesis “The Problematics of Legal Regulation of Cyberbullying in Lithuania” examines the peculiarities of legal regulation of cyberbullying in cyberspace. The penetration of information and communication technologies in modern society has in many cases abolished the strict boundaries between the real and the virtual worlds, and at the same time necessitated the need to review, assess and regulate the requirements for the conduct of individuals, including bullying, in cyberspace. Cyberbullying can be seen as one of the cybercrime’s acts that create additional challenges for law enforcement authorities. Cyberbullying can reach a larger audience than traditional bullying, there is no clear boundary between freedom of expression and insulting another person, and it is difficult to remove information from a website and find the perpetrator. In other words, the consequences and damage caused by cyberbullying can be much greater and more severe than other forms of bullying. When analysing the legal regulation of cyberbullying, it should be emphasised that this area in Lithuania still lacks the attention of researchers, lawmakers and lawyers. Although the concepts of bullying and cyberbullying are defined in legislation, there is a lack of separate regulation on how this type of bullying should be prevented and what and how it should be punishable by law. The specific nature of cyberbullying and the particularly harmful consequences it causes are not fully taken into account when it comes to the prevention and liability for cyberbullying. Although certain laws partially criminalise acts that can be classified as bullying, the main Lithuanian legislation does not provide for separate liability for acts such as cyberbullying. For example, the Criminal Code of the Republic of Lithuania refers to penalties for incitement to suicide or suicide (Art. 133), defamation (Art. 154), discrimination on the grounds of nationality, race, sex, origin, religion or other group affiliation (Art. 169), incitement against any nation, race, ethnic, religious or other group of people (Art. 170) etc., however, it does not distinguish cyberbullying as a separate criminal offence, nor does it distinguish the application of liability for this offence or its prosecution. The absence of a separate criminal offence for cyberbullying in the law may cause confusion both in the study of legal theory and in the practice of law. In this case, different interpretations and interpretations of the provisions of the Lithuanian legal acts related to cyberbullying may be encountered, creating preconditions for the inappropriate application of legal liability, complicating the possibilities of collecting and assessing evidence in cyberbullying cases and the formation of case law in this area. The aim of the paper is to reveal the problematics of legal regulation of cyberbullying in Lithuania by analysing the theoretical aspects of cyberbullying and the peculiarities of national legal acts and case law in this context. The objectives of the paper are: 1) to reveal the concept, peculiarities and regulatory prerequisites of cyberbullying; 2) to analyse the provisions of the legal regulation of cyberbullying in 5 Lithuania; and to review the application of the liability for cyberbullying in the Lithuanian case law. The thesis is based on the methods of analysis, of scientific literature, online sources, legal acts and other documents, systematisation and generalisation. The analysis of the concept and characteristics of cyberbullying has revealed that cyberbullying is understood as aggressive, intentional, persistent, repeated, direct and indirect behaviour of a person using information and communication technologies, which is intended to have a negative emotional, psychological or physical impact on the victim. Cyberbullying is characterised by its anonymity, publicity, speed of spread, various forms of expression, and is difficult to control. Given that cyberbullying has painful, damaging and, in some cases, disastrous effects on a person’s mental and physical health, cyberbullying can be considered as a form of violence or a criminal offence which requires appropriate regulation. The analysis of the legal regulation of cyberbullying in Lithuania has shown that Lithuanian national legislation lacks a separate regulation of cyberbullying. When assessing cyberbullying, the general provisions of legislation protecting individual rights and freedoms and establishing liability for violations of the law are usually referred to, but such regulation does not reflect the nature, peculiarities and the extent of the harm caused by cyberbullying. Civil, administrative and criminal liability for cyberbullying is determined by the application of the provisions of the Civil Code of the Republic of Lithuania, the Code of Administrative Offences of the Republic of Lithuania and the Criminal Code of the Republic of Lithuania, where the acts or actions defined in the latter have the characteristics of cyberbullying. In other words, the existing legal framework in our country is insufficient for the assessment of cyberbullying, its consequences and the application of liability for it. Legal protection against cyberbullying and liability for cyberbullying in Lithuania is fragmented and not fully clarified – although it is enshrined in individual legal acts, the totality of the legal norms does not guarantee comprehensive protection and inevitability of liability, given the nature of this type of cyberbullying and the consequences it causes. The legal regulation of cyberbullying as a separate offence and liability for it would allow for a more effective interpretation of the issues related to the identification and decision-making in cyberbullying cases, and would bring clarity to the investigation of cyberbullying, help to avoid uncertainties and misunderstandings in the investigation, evidence gathering and prosecution of cyber-bullying, and eliminate or at least reduce the difficulties in initiating, investigating and adjudicating cyber-bullying related cases. The review of case law has shown that civil, administrative or criminal liability for cyberbullying applies in cases where it has the characteristics of the acts referred to in the articles of the Civil Code of the Republic of Lithuania, the Code of Administrative Offences of the Republic of Lithuania, or the Criminal Code of the Republic of Lithuania. When dealing with cases involving the specific features of cyberbullying, the courts rely on the general provisions of the Civil Code of the Republic of Lithuania, the 6 Code of Administrative Offences of the Republic of Lithuania and the Criminal Code of the Republic of Lithuania, and their practice in this area is still being developed. Often, courts at different levels have different interpretations of the circumstances of the same cases and the grounds for liability. In view of the above, a separate legal regulation of cyberbullying in Lithuania would allow for a more efficient application of legal norms, would contribute to the improvement of the quality and efficiency of judicial activity in this area and would ensure the implementation of the principle of inevitability of liability for cyberbullying.