A couple of days ago, it was reported in the news that the government is going to try to crack down on internet trolling. They decided that abusing people over the internet would now be made criminal somehow. I was quite shocked when I heard this, as I see it as a very dangerous, unwise move. While I know many of us have encountered trolls and know how offensive they can be, the danger lies in how you define trolling and abuse. Name-calling and insulting are quite straightforward, but what about other forms of criticism? My fear is that this new law will be used to stop people attacking the government, holding them to account.

I know I can be as guilty as anyone of insulting people online, especially tory politician, but I would argue that that rage is a reflection of my frustration with their policies, not them personally. They must be held to account. But what if I or bloggers like me were termed internet trolls and hauled in front of a judge? It would be a great way for the government to prevent themselves being criticised – they would just have to term what write abusive to shut me or anyone like me up. What is certainly true is that I will have to be very careful about what I say online from now on, and that worries me very much indeed,