Category Archives: Defamation

Leveson: Bloggers and the Royal Charter

Posted on March 19, 2013 by

One of the immediate reactions to the last minute deal over the implementation of the Leveson recommendations was that it would hit bloggers and tweeters very hard. I’m not sure that’s really true – and will set out here why. … Continue reading →

Posted in Defamation, Law, Leveson, Privacy, Twitter | 8 Comments

Leveson: don’t believe the hype….

Posted on March 17, 2013 by

With Monday’s debate and vote looming, the hype over Leveson seems to be ratcheting up a few notches. Nick Cohen’s acerbic piece in the Observer, headlined ‘Leveson’s liberal friends bring shame upon the left’ is just one example. Given that … Continue reading →

Posted in Defamation, Freedom of expression, Hacking, Leveson | 1 Comment

The proof of the pudding…

Posted on December 13, 2012 by

The news that Lord McAlpine has started legal proceedings against Sally Bercow for libel over her tweets has been greeted in some quarters by dismay. I don’t see it that way: from an academic perspective, and potentially for future tweeters … Continue reading →

Posted in Defamation, Twitter | 40 Comments

Witches and Unicorns

Posted on November 30, 2012 by

Philosopher Alasdair MacIntyre once suggested that belief in human rights was akin to belief in witches and unicorns – by which he meant that the whole concept was illusionary and fundamentally flawed. As he put it: “There are no such rights, … Continue reading →

Posted in Defamation, Freedom of expression | 14 Comments

Chilling out…

Posted on November 27, 2012 by

There’s been a lot of talk of the ‘chilling effect’ recently. The Leveson report, due out this week, is going to have a chilling effect, we’re told. Lord McAlpine’s threatened defamation suits on tweeters are having a chilling effect too … Continue reading →

Posted in Defamation, Freedom of expression, Twitter | 3 Comments

Defamation on Twitter…

Posted on November 15, 2012 by

In the light of all the current interest, I’ve put together a little basic guide to defamation on twitter. This isn’t anything like ‘legal advice’, and please remember I’m an academic, not a practicing lawyer… but this should give you … Continue reading →

Posted in Defamation, Twitter | 15 Comments

Topical subjects….

Posted on November 9, 2012 by

I was struck by something yesterday: the things that I research and teach about seem to be becoming more and more topical. What drove it home was the Philip Schofield/David Cameron incident on ITV’s This Morning – happening in a … Continue reading →

Posted in Defamation, Identity, Internet, Privacy | 5 Comments

Will the government ‘get’ digital policy?

Posted on October 26, 2012 by

I had an interesting time at the ‘Seventh Annual Parliament and Internet Conference’ yesterday – and came away slightly less depressed than I expected to be. It seemed to me that there were chinks of light emerging amidst the usually … Continue reading →

Posted in broadband, Copyright, Cyberlaw, Defamation, Digital Economy Act, Facebook, Identity, Parenting, Piracy, Privacy, surveillance | 7 Comments

A progressive digital policy?

Posted on August 28, 2012 by

Yesterday I read a call for submissions to Labour Left’s ‘Red Book II’, by Dr Éoin Clarke – to develop a way forward for the Labour Party. It started me thinking about what would really constitute a progressive digital policy – … Continue reading →

Posted in data retention, Defamation, Digital Economy Act, Freedom of expression, government, Internet access, surveillance | 17 Comments

Anonymity, trolls – and defamation?

Posted on June 12, 2012 by

A headline on the BBC’s website this morning reads: “Websites to be forced to identify trolls under new measures” Beneath it, the first sentence says something somewhat different: “Websites will soon be forced to identify people who have posted defamatory … Continue reading →

Posted in Defamation, Disinformation, Privacy | 13 Comments