In the last couple of weeks, footballers and Olympic athletes have come under attack from online trolls, often through Twitter. Now, former footballer Stan Collymore has accused Twitter of not doing enough to combat abusive messages or taking action against those responsible. He’s even pulled the plug on his own Twitter account, deleting all but … Continue reading
It has been suggested that Neil Warnock could take legal action after a series of critical and allegedly derogatory tweets were brought to his attention. The tweets were posted by Crystal Palace winger Jason Puncheon. Although now deleted, The Guardian has referred to them as “potentially libellous”. Warnock responded, insisting “if it’s been suggested that … Continue reading
Sally Bercow’s infamous tweet about Lord McAlpine was libellous, Mr Justice Tugendhat has ruled in the High Court. The tweet, “Why is Lord McAlpine trending. *innocent face*.” was posted by the wife of the House of Commons Speaker, John Bercow, two days after a BBC programme linked a “leading Conservative politician” to claims of sex abuse at … Continue reading
The rise of social media is having ‘devastating consequences’ on small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) who are suffering reputational damage when communities turn against them. The BBC has reported that one such business has been damaged by comments made in an “untrue and misleading” social media campaign over hygiene standards. Takings are said to have dropped … Continue reading
Dominic Grieve QC, the Attorney General, has recently been speaking out about the use of social media and advocating a zero tolerance approach. When I met with him we discussed this and how his own position might be seen to be at odds with some of his colleagues in public office. Dominic Grieve has enjoyed a steady … Continue reading
The Court of Appeal in London has suggested that Google and other online platforms may be liable for defamatory comments posted by users of their websites. The ruling confirmed that websites must act on complaints reasonably quickly to maintain their status as mere “facilitators” rather than publishers, which would expose them to greater liability for libellous comments posted … Continue reading
Kevin Poulter 