The CPS publishes social media hate crime prosecution guidance

[Corky34]

Well, yes they are, although many of the remedies are only available in the civil courts, if you have deep pockets, and the pervasiveness of accessibility of and to the internet has introduced new forms of anti-social behaviour which criminal law needs to keep up to date with.

The problem for me is no one is forced into becoming part of the internet society, in the real world we have rules and laws to prevent persecution because it's all but impossible to hide things from society, from the colour of your skin, the cloths you wear, car you drive, to the house you live in all say something about you, that's not the case on the internet, people can choose not to voice an opinion, not share intimate details of their lives and so on.

[peterb]

The problem for me is no one is forced into becoming part of the internet society, in the real world we have rules and laws to prevent persecution because it's all but impossible to hide things from society, from the colour of your skin, the cloths you wear, car you drive, to the house you live in all say something about you, that's not the case on the internet, people can choose not to voice an opinion, not share intimate details of their lives and so on.

Again true, but one could still be the subject of defamatory comments on the internet/social media without actually being connected (just as one can be the subject of gossip in RL) But gossip may only be in a small circle of people, not millions. It's the scale of the Internet that makes it unique.