Internet Defamation Reputations At Stake?

Originally published in Lawrence Graham's 'SmartLaw' newsletter, March 2007

© Lawrence Graham LLP

Internet message boards and discussion forums can provide fertile ground for the sowing and cultivation of defamation proceedings. And increasingly it can be the internet service providers who find themselves in the front line. SmartLaw explains.

Tour a few informal internet forums, where participants are free to articulate potentially subversive views and contributions are published instantaneously, and it won’t be long before you come across something that the mainstream media would probably not dare publish for fear of legal action. When a message board posting turns defamatory it can be very difficult, if not impossible, for the slighted party to identify the original author and so start proceedings against them. And, sadly, even if the person can be identified it often doesn’t do much good; they are likely as not an impecunious individual rather than a wealthy company, unlikely to