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Old 30-10-2010, 22:36   #20
Chris
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Re: Jade Goody website 'troll' from Manchester jailed

Quote:
Originally Posted by watzizname View Post
I appreciate the fact that there's probably no absolute guarantee that something might slip through the vetting process, but we're talking about (at a guess) a message of fairly easy to identify hatred.

Surely it's no different to the way things run on this site, a mod notices or is informed of a problem post, removes it from public view, and does whatever they can to prevent the idiot responsible from causing further problems?

Am not experienced in libel laws, but i know something about common sense, and would have thought the terms a person agrees to when they sign up to a forum, and use of disclaimer notices, would prevent the site from being culpable? especially if it's shown that those running the site have done all they can to prevent such an occurrence, rather than just allow an unmoderated free for all..
Fair point; it is unlikely that something criminally offensive would slip though, but something libellous might well do, because on a board as busy as this one, for example, there would be so many posts in the moderation queue at any one time, none of them would be getting read properly before publication.

On the subject of libel, no, sadly the site T&Cs do not absolve the site owners from claims of libel. The poster may be liable, but if they are, then the site owner is also. However, this can be mitigated by dealing with complaints of libel promptly, removing objectionable content quickly and offering the complainant a right of reply, if appropriate.
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