Robert Freeman’s Blog…

 

I’ve just noticed that Robert Freeman has removed the ability to add comments to his blog and may stop blogging altogether, see his post entitled Removal of comments…

I hope he’s able to carry on blogging. I think it’s good to hear a variety of opinions and I like to read peoples off-topic posts as they give an idea of the personality behind the blog.

Cheers

Tim…

Author: Tim...

DBA, Developer, Author, Trainer.

2 thoughts on “Robert Freeman’s Blog…”

  1. Hi Tim,

    Robert is a smart fellow, indeed. I’m not familiar with English Law, but there have been cases in the U.S.A where bloggers (and forum owners) have been sued for huge bucks because they are acting as a “publisher” by providing a forum for defamatory comments.

    In the cited case, the blogger “baited” and encouraged others to publish false statements about someone, and the court ruled that he was partially responsible for the defamation.

    http://dba-oracle.blogspot.com/2005/07/gold-mine-of-irresponsible-blogging.html

    Here are some USA cases, and around here, internet journalists (bloggers) and internet publishers (blog commentators) and being held to the same standards as brick-and-mortar publications:

    http://www.dba-oracle.com/internet_cyberlibel_usa_cases_message_boards_forums.htm

    I’ll ask Linda to send you a copy of the “Web Stalkers” where Andert and I go into more detail on the perils of Cyberlibel.

    From what I’ve read, the U.K. case law is even scarier. Read this, from the British Computer Society, where it appears that employers can be sued for the Cyberlibel acts of their employees:

    http://www.bcs.org/BCS/Products/Publications/JournalsAndMagazines/ComputerBulletin/OnlineArchive/jul97/perilsofcyber.htm

    “The UK’s libel laws are stricter than those of many countries. In particular, they are stricter than those of the USA. This could create some interesting scenarios.

    Take the hypothetical case of the British employee who, in seeking to lure prospective clients, posts a message to a newsgroup run from the UK (which could of course also be accessed from the USA), casting aspersions on the competence or probity or financial stability of an American competitor.

    That competitor may decide to take advantage of our notoriously plaintiff-friendly libel laws to sue in England.”

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