CHARLOTTE Dawson will appear on 60 Minutes this Sunday, just days after she was admitted to hospital following an attack by a vile army of cyber-bullies.

Dawson has broken her silence to thank fans and Twitter followers for their "incredible support".

The Foxtel presenter confirmed she was receiving medical help in the PEC ward (psychiatric emergency unit) of St Vincent's Hospital, Darlinghurst, in a message posted via friend Jo Thornely.

Dawson is said to be recovering well after an onslaught of disgusting and violent messages to her Twitter account.

The shocking and dangerous bombardment of nasty messages came in the wake of Dawson's stand against Melbourne "troll" Tanya Heti, who was suspended from her Monash University job for urging the TV star and another follower to "go hang yourself."

Dawson will share the horror of her experience in a TV interview with Channel 9's 60 Minutes, to air this Sunday night.

It is unclear when Dawson gave the interview, but a statement by the flagship current affairs program said "she was still shaken when Tara Brown spoke to her but somehow found the strength to share her story.''

media_camera Jo Thornley tweets a message from Charlotte Dawson who thanked her fans for their support after she was attacked by Twitter trolls.

The media release claimed the TV presenter had been "pushed to the very brink by these creeps'' but hoped "by speaking out, she can save someone else from the hell that she only just survived.''

It comes as the anti-bullying foundation Dawson recently agreed to act for as ambassador, Community Brave stepped up its online campaign to #SayNoToBullying.

Communications Minister Stephen Conroy today called on Twitter to assist police in its cyber bullying investigations.

Senator Conroy is urging Twitter to be accountable and take its international complaints seriously.

He said the US social media giant hasn’t cooperated with the Australian Federal Police in previous instances.

“What I would say is that Twitter should cooperate with the police investigation that is now underway to help reveal who these trolls are,” said Mr Conroy.

“You shouldn’t just be able to hide behind under anonymity. You should behave the same way in the physical world as you do in the online world and so Twitter should come to party.”

“But Twitter, because they’re an overseas company operating under American law, they have in the past, the range of these big internet companies, haven’t always been prepared to chase it down hard for us.”

The Federal Coalition is pushing for tougher laws for online abuse following the Dawson incident.

Dawson was admitted to hospital early yesterday after police and an ambulance were called to her inner Sydney residence.

Pink takes aim at Twitter trolls

"I don't believe in censoring the internet but we do have to have reasonable protections," Opposition Leader Tony Abbott said this morning.

media_camera After spending two days under observation at St Vincent's Psychiatric Emergency Care Centre, Charlotte Dawson has been released and is now staying with friends

"What we're looking at is more capacity for take-down orders.

"Every one of these sites is hosted by someone and if the site is just hosting material that is completely scurrilous ... grotesquely offensive, I think there should be some powers for take-down orders, to ensure people are at least civil to each other."

Mr Abbott said there was a difference between someone saying "something foolish" and someone posting something nasty online. "If someone says something foolish it's out, it's off and it's gone," he said.

"But what happens on social media is it's there forever, that's the difference - the insult, the offensive words, the incitement and the intimidation is there forever."

Mr Abbott also said children who are cyber bullied can't change schools to get away from that culture.

"It follows you on the net," he said. "That's why this is a more disturbing phenomenon."

And NSW police minister Mike Gallacher said he wanted the trolls "dragged out of their mother's basement and put before a court" following the recent Twitter attacks on the Australia's Next Top Model host.

"These are sick minds we're dealing with," he said yesterday. "I'd be interested to see if they're still tough guys when they're in handcuffs."

Mr Gallacher has referred to police the abuse levelled at Dawson. There were more than 100 messages of hate in response to her naming and shaming a Monash University employee who had told her to "go hang yourself".

Mr Gallacher said that "even a cursory examination of the comments made to Ms Dawson overnight reveals they are clearly offensive to a reasonable person, which is the test for any prosecution under Section 474.17 of the Commonwealth Criminal Code Act".

That section refers to use of a "carriage service" to menace, harass or offend, with a maximum three-year jail term.

University of Technology Sydney communications law expert Michael Fraser said those who attacked Dawson had committed criminal acts.

"The online world is not above the law," Professor Fraser said.

A spokesperson for Attorney General Nicola Roxon said the trolls' behaviour was reprehensible and had no place in our community.

Many Twitter users set up fake accounts for the purpose of joining the campaign against Dawson. Twitter did not comment.

The chairman of the Coalition's online safety working group, Paul Fletcher, said the "online hate campaign" against Ms Dawson was "shocking".



"No Australian should ever have to go through something like this," he said.



"Unfortunately, cyber bullying, including through social media services such as Twitter and Facebook is a growing social problem.



"The Coalition has been consulting extensively on whether changes to current laws are required, with a particular focus on cyber bullying in children and young people.



"The sad experience of Charlotte Dawson is another indicator of the importance of a close look at the laws in this area."

media_camera Charlotte Dawson was taken to hospital after she signed off Twitter with the disturbing message "you win x''. Photo: Twitter





Many Twitter users set up fake accounts just for the purpose of joining the campaign against Ms Dawson.

One user set up an account with the handle '@gohangyourself'.



The user tweeted:



"@MsCharlotteD Like previously stated by the many tweets you've received (sic) ... And also stated by the country of New Zealand. Go hang yourself."



Another user set up an account called "@JoKillYourself" and tweeted:



"@MsCharlotteD Kill yourself and save us the trouble of getting you taken off the air, you worthless w***e.":



The user also posted instructions on how to do it.



News Limited want members of the public to help us identify trolls who threatened and harassed Dawson and other victims of harassment online.



If you know the identity of a Twitter troll email news@dailytelegraph.com.au

The Australian Federal Police told News Ltd that cyber bullying was generally handled by state and territory police who may apply the Commonwealth legislation, as well as their own legislation.



"However, the acceptance of a cyber bullying investigation is a matter for state and territory police," a spokesperson for the AFP said.



"The AFP encourages those who believe they are a victim of cyber bullying or cyber crime, to report it to police.



"Through initiatives such as ThinkUKnow, the AFP works with the private sector to educate the Australian public to conduct themselves safely online.



"Initiatives such as this are essential to combat crime in this increasingly complex and dynamic environment. Further information about the ThinkUKnow initiative is available at www.thinkuknow.org.au."



The AFP could not confirm that they were tracking people involved in the Dawson cyber bullying case and that it was a matter for the states and territories.



NSW Police said they had not been tracking users as it had not received an official complaint regarding the Dawson case.



Karalee Evans, APAC digital media strategist for creative agency, Text 100 told News Ltd that platforms themselves, such as Twitter Inc and Facebook, needed to address their Terms of Service and operating procedures in addition to state lawmakers in dealing with online abuse.



"Currently, it is difficult for police to gain access to the details behind abusive accounts in order to follow up complaints, and while I support strong privacy laws in maintaining users rights to anonymity, there needs to be a balance to facilitate the process around dealing with, and bringing accountability with abuse," Ms Evans said.



"At the very minimum, Australian law and Police need to catch up with the internet.



"We need to consider the benefits of a users privacy against the need to moderate dangerous behaviour as a community and as a Government, and implement a weighting towards safety, before its too late and we see a tragedy unfold."



The latest incident follows in the wake of a string of arrests overseas.



Earlier this month, a UK teenager was arrested and Welsh footballer Daniel Thomas suspended from his club after both sent abusive tweets to British Olympic diver Tom Daley.



British student Liam Stacey was jailed for almost two months earlier this year for inciting racial hatred on social media via messages he posted about black footballer Fabrice Muamba.



And Take That front-man Gary Barlow earlier this month became the latest in a long list of celebrities and sports stars to bear the brunt of hateful posts when a troll tweeted mocking remarks about his still-born daughter, Poppy.



Go to cybersmart.gov.au for more information about cyber-bullying.



Readers seeking support should contact Lifeline - 13 11 14 and www.lifeline.org.au or Beyond Blue at www.beyondblue.org.au

Originally published as Will trolls be caught in their own web?