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Lawmakers in Poland are moving to tighten rules on online content, with a new draft amendment to the Criminal Code now before the Sejm. The proposal, submitted by the Civic Coalition, sets penalties of three months to five years in prison for influencers who promote illegal gambling or stream prohibited acts online.
According to Bankier.pl, the draft was formally announced on Thursday (Jan 29) by the press office of the Chamber of Deputies, with Monika Rosa, deputy chairwoman of the Civic Coalition and head of the Sejm Committee for Children and Youth, leading the project.
Rosa explained the reasoning behind the bill, telling PAP that “what is punished in the real world cannot go unpunished in the digital world.” She added, “Currently, there are difficulties with blocking such content, reporting it to digital platforms, so we must have a clear path of punishing people who produce such pathostreams.”
The amendment introduces a new article to the Criminal Code covering the public dissemination of images or sound online that show the commission of a prohibited act, or even simulated acts presented as authentic.
Under the proposal, such actions would carry prison terms of up to five years.
Government to consult with experts and organizations
Monika Rosa stressed that many influencers profit from gambling promotions despite the fact that such activity is banned in Poland.
“It is illegal in Poland. These people pretend that they have won some super lotteries, that you can win money in online casinos, which should not function in Poland, because there is a state monopoly on gambling. (…) In this way, they deceive young people, encouraging them to engage in risky behavior, which later turns into an addiction,” she said.
Rosa confirmed that the draft will be discussed with experts and organizations to refine the rules. “We will talk about how best to clarify these regulations, how to penalize pathostreaming as widely as possible,” she added.
