Facebook page owners are liable for defamatory comments published by third parties: the Voller case

If you own a business and publish content on social media, it is important that you understand the risks regarding defamation. Additionally, you should be aware of your obligations to prevent defamatory comments from being published on your social media pages.

A high-profile court case, the Voller decision, found that some of Australia's biggest media outlets were the publishers of third party comments on their Facebook posts. This decision has wide-reaching impacts. It could mean that any business or person who operates a Facebook page, or something similar, could be held liable for defamatory comments made on their posts or page.

This article will briefly explain defamation and what the Voller decision means for any business that operates a social media page.