Speaking during the fijivillage Straight Talk Public Forum with Vijay Narayan, Commissioner Filipe Batiwale says most of these complaints are being reviewed and assessed, while some have been closed off.
He says most of the cases received involve requests for electronic communications or social media posts to be taken down.
Batiwale says cyberbullying involves electronic communication being used in a way that causes harm or serious emotional distress to another person.
He adds a number of complaints remain unresolved, with one of the major issues being that complainants fail to properly complete and sign the required complaint form.
He says under the current framework, a person making a complaint to the Online Safety Commission is required to complete a form, including providing a signature, as required under the Online Safety Act regulations.
Batiwale says this requirement is sometimes overlooked by complainants and is a major drawback when dealing with complaints received by the Commission.
He says complaints can also involve people being concerned about material posted online about themselves, their relatives or other people concerned.
However, Batiwale says the Commission’s current legal framework restricts its ability to assist when the online content is completely unrelated to the person making the complaint.
Insert: Only thsoe affected can make a complaint KK 5th Sept
He says this makes the current framework quite restrictive in terms of who can lodge a complaint with the Commission.
