What Is A Troll? How Do You Deal With Them?

The phrase ‘internet troll’ can mean anything from online pests who post controversial content to stir up discussion in online comments channels, up to criminals who harass grieving families and other vulnerable people.

For any computer user, trolls can be an irritation, and their posts can be upsetting.

The key thing to remember is not to react. In most cases, provoking a reaction is the troll’s aim and silence can be the best weapon against them.

The word is long-standing internet slang and thought have roots in ‘trawling’ (like a fisherman) for a reaction. Online, people use the word as a verb such as: “He is trolling this forum. Ignore him.”

An online warning seen fairly frequently on comment threads and discussion forums is, “Please do not feed the trolls.” This means, simply, that users should not respond to content posted to provoke reactions.

However, trolls can be much more sinister. There are some users who deliberately attempt to upset grieving families, some are criminals who try to infect computers by sending out controversial comments with a link which contains malicious software.

Trolls can be found anywhere on the internet: from online game forums to newspaper websites, to social networks such as Facebook.

It’s not always easy to work out who is and is not a troll. People frequently accuse commenters of ‘trolling’ if they simply don’t like what they say.

If you are sure you are dealing with a genuine troll, the methods for dealing with them remain broadly similar, wherever you encounter them online.

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Work out what sort of troll you are dealing with

Online trolls who deliberately deface a memorial page on Facebook, or who post personal attacks online, are usually guilty of harassment or bullying. These are crimes, which can be reported to police. It can also be reported to sites such as Facebook and Twitter, who will take action against the individuals concerned.

Offensive content such as racial abuse can also be criminal, and will usually lead to a ban from sites for anyone who posts it. You can use built-in functions such as Facebook’s “Report” button to report users who are deliberately bullying someone, posting private information about other site users, or using non-humorous “hate speech” or encouraging violence.

For example, Facebook will often ban such users, and if applicable, report them to law enforcement.

News sites will usually also have a clear policy on offensive posts, and offensive posts can violate these. Even if trolls are not prosecuted, they will often be banned from the site, and have their computer’s internet address blocked.

If a child or other family member is being persecuted online by someone they know, this is cyberbullying, rather than trolling. Sites such as Think U Know can offer helpful advice about cyberbullying.

Remember, though, that posting a comment that you disagree with, or even that you find upsetting, is not automatically a crime, or in violation of the policies of the site. For instance, a troll might post a very extreme political opinion, or negative comments about a celebrity story, but not have committed a crime, or violated the “terms of service” of sites.

Be sure something really has crossed the line before you report it.

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There is no “clever” way to talk to a troll

The golden rule of dealing with trolls is never, ever to communicate with them. Even posting something to defuse the situation is a bad idea. Most trolls want a reaction, regardless of what it is, and will often post further offensive comments in reaction to your reply.

Trolls thrive on hurting and offending people, and replying to them is as risky as replying to a spammer. In both cases, it just gives the pest a signal that there is somebody there.

Before allowing children access to the internet, explain to them that they should not reply to outrageous or offensive posts. Instead, they should talk to their parents or legal guardian.

‘Trolling’ posts are often childlike in their attempts to offend (in fact, 2,000 children have been investigated by police for ‘trolling’ and related offenses in the UK), so children might be more likely to react to a troll’s post than adults. Explain that the best policy is to ignore what they have written.

Hide, block and unfriend trolls

If someone has posted an offensive comment on a discussion you started on Facebook, or on a family blog you created (i.e. on a page you control), delete their posts, and block them from posting again where possible.

If you’re not the owner of the page, take steps to ensure you and your family can’t see the content again.

Unfriend or unfollow anyone who makes trolling posts on social networks. Trolling is never funny and can hurt people. Use Facebook’s ‘Hide’ button and similar functions to block comments which you find offensive.

Remember that clicking on unknown links can be dangerous

Some trolls can be dangerous to your computer. Offensive comments, or fake Facebook pages which spring up after a news event can be more sinister than mere attempts to offend.

They may have been built to lure victims into clicking on links, and thus infecting themselves with malicious software or directing victims to surveys which ask for details such as phone numbers. This sort of private information can be used for identity theft. Never click on links in weird or offensive content posted by people you don’t know.

On Facebook, callous criminals have stooped as low as creating fake memorial pages for victims of incidents such as the deadly missile attack on Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 as it flew over the Ukraine, to tempt people to click on links.

Dr Alistair MacGibbon of the University of Canberra said that criminals were increasingly ‘following’ the news, and posting offensive, fake or non-existent content in an attempt to lure people to sites which will make them money.

“Crooks are super-fast these days at picking up on anything that’s remotely topical, and working out how to monetise it from a criminal point of view. It’s a really distasteful trend,” he said.

Any link that you see in a post from someone you don’t know could be dangerous.

Don’t click.