Social media blamed for sharp rise in online defamation cases
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The number of court cases brought by people who say they have been defamed online has more than doubled in a year, as social networks become prime ground for the spread of defamatory information.
The growing use of social media networks such as Twitter and Facebook are thought to be the main cause of the surge over the past year, during which internet-related libel cases in England and Wales rose from seven to 16.
Singer Courtney Love is among those who have fallen foul of online defamation laws, and is currently being sued for a second time for posting defamatory statements on Twitter.
Ms Love paid $430,000 (£263,000) to settle a lawsuit brought against her by designer Dawn Simonrangkir in March this year after calling her a "nasty lying hosebag thief" on Twitter in a dispute over money.
She is now being sued again for defamation after making allegedly libellous statements about the law firm that used to represent her, also on Twitter. The new figures, drawn from legal information provider Sweet and Maxwell's Lawtel and Westlaw UK services, have led to calls for more accountability for what people write online.
They also showed that there was a large drop – 59 per cent – in the number of celebrities suing for defamation, down from 22 in 2009/10 to only nine in the past year.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments