Those who get their chortles by beating people up and then posting the video of their activities may soon have a lot less to chortle about – at least in France.  

The French Constitutional Council has approved a new law which would make it illegal for anyone except a professional journalist to record or broadcast violent acts, and unauthorized publishers could face up to five years in jail and a 75,000 Euro fine – which, in some cases, would be a more severe penalty than the one imposed for committing the violent act in the first place.  

The law is aimed at putting the brakes on “happy slapping”, the oh-so-funny practice of slapping complete strangers and then posting the video online.  It’s intended to apply to perpetrators and accomplices, and there are some exemptions, but there are complaints from civil liberties groups that it’s too broad and goes too far.  

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