Social media, criminal law, and legality

This review examines Social Media, Criminal Law, and Legality by Laura Higson-Bliss, a timely and critical exploration of the intersection between criminal law and social media in addressing online misconduct. Drawing on Lon Fuller's framework of legality, the book highlights the limitations of existing legal norms in regulating digital behaviour without compromising core legal principles such as clarity, accessibility, and non-retroactivity. Structured in three main sections, the book first lays a theoretical foundation concerning freedom of expression and digital regulation, then evaluates the applicability of statutes like the Public Order Act 1986, Protection from Harassment Act 1997, and the Online Safety Act 2023 to contemporary online offenses. The final section analyses platform accountability, offering comparative insights from France, Germany, and India. Higson-Bliss argues that criminal law interventions often lack precision, risk over-criminalisation, and disproportionately impact marginalised groups. The book advocates for a more holistic regulatory model that includes digital literacy and platform governance alongside legal reforms. While the review praises the book's analytical depth and comparative scope, it also notes the need for further discussion on the role of artificial intelligence in content moderation and broader engagement with legal developments beyond Western jurisdictions. Overall, this work provides essential insights for academics, policymakers, and legal practitioners working in the field of digital criminal law.