Digilante Justice: Defamation By Camera Phone

Earlier this month, a man in Melbourne, Australia decided to take his very first selfie next to a Darth Vader poster at a local shopping center. A nearby shopper mistakenly thought that the man was taking pictures of her young children. Convinced she had espied a pedophile, the mother snuck a cellphone shot of the man and uploaded it to Facebook, along with commentary labeling him a "creep" and implying that he might be a "registered sex offender." When word of the post reached the man, he immediately contacted the police and cleared his name. The "mistaken mum" has since then issued a retraction, and the Melbourne authorities have urged "anyone in a similar situation to contact police and report the matter as opposed to turning to social media." But none of that has prevented this poor guy from receiving death threats and even being physically assaulted. Perhaps he has a valid suit for defamation, but we may never know because, so far, he appears mainly to be