Knesset members from the Sephardic Orthodox Shas party and the Religious Zionism party jointly submitted a bill Wednesday intended to stop “cyber violence.” The bill was submitted by Shas MK Uriel Bosso and Religious Zionism MK Ofir Sofer.
If passed, the bill will include the spread of violent content on social media in the definition of a criminal offense. It would amend the current Penal Code to define the distribution of violent and inciting videos crimes that include posting the attack on social media, as a criminal offense punishable by up to three years in prison, according to the N12 television news network.
The explanatory note that went along with the bill stated, “With the proliferation of media on social networks, a situation has developed with the desire to generate ratings in various methods and in every conceivable form, without supervision. This is becoming a trend of violence and incitement bordering on terrorism.” The MKS stressed that these acts could endanger human life.
The move comes in the wake of the growing popularity of the TikTok social media app, and more recently a serious rise in attacks that are filmed as they take place, with the footage subsequently being posted on TikTok and other social media sites.