defamation in the internet age: the law and social media€¦ · defamation: • untrue statements...
TRANSCRIPT
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Defamation in the Internet Age:
The Law and Social Media Sean Valentine, McCague Borlack LLP
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Canadians and Social Media
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Defamation in the Conventional Sense Defamation:
• Untrue statements made by an individual that are harmful to someone else’s reputation.
• Must be shared with a third party.
Two forms of Defamation:
• Slander – oral statements
• Libel – written statements
• Cyber-Libel – a “post” or statement that is untrue to another individual on the Internet
• Could include posts on message boards, bulletin boards, blogs, chat rooms, personal websites, social media, social networking sites or other published articles.
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Defamation in the Conventional Sense
Defamation:
• For the most part – strict liability
• A defendant will likely be liable whether or not they acted intentionally or negligently in making and/or publishing a defamatory statement to a third person.
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Defamation in the Conventional Sense
Grant v. Torstar, 2009 SCC 61
• In order to recover in action for defamation, the plaintiff must show that the words about which the plaintiff complained of:
1. Were defamatory, in the sense that they would tend to lower the plaintiff’s reputation in the eyes of a reasonable person;
2. In fact refer to the plaintiff; and,
3. Were published to a third person, in the sense that they were communicated to at least on person other than the plaintiff.
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Defamation in the Conventional Sense
Defences Available to a Claim for Defamation 1. Truth or justification
2. Absolute Privilege
3. Qualified Privilege
4. Fair Comment
5. Responsible Communication on Matter of Public Interest
6. Consent
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Recent Damage Awards (Social Media)
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Recent Damage Awards (Social Media) General Damages • Canadian “trilogy” limit on non-pecuniary damages
in personal injury cases does not apply in defamation actions.
• Nonetheless, awards have not surpassed this limit to date.
• Damages should be assessed based upon a rational attempt to measure in money terms the loss and injury the plaintiff had suffered.
• Special, aggravated and punitive damages may be awarded in certain circumstances.
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Recent Damage Awards (Social Media)
• Windsor-Essex Catholic District School Board v. Lentini (2010)
• Ontario Superior Court of Justice • Damages not available
• 9080-5128 Quebec Inc. v. Morin-Ogilvy (2012)
• Superior Court of Quebec • Damages awarded totaling $10,000 total for both
plaintiffs
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Recent Damage Awards (Social Media)
• Hardev Humar v. Vinod Khurana (2015) • Ontario Superior Court of Justice
• General Damages awarded totaling $15,000; Aggravated Damages awarded totaling $15,000.
• Pritchard v. Van Nes (2016) • British Columbia Supreme Court
• General Damages awarded totaling $50,000; Punitive Damages awarded totaling $15,000.
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Deleterious Effects of a Post Going “Viral”
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Recent New Privacy Tort Recognized Jane Doe 464533 v. X. (2016) • Ontario Superior Court of Justice
• Defendant posted an intimate video of the Plaintiff online and showed it t members of their social circle.
• Breach of Confidence, Intentional Infliction of Mental Distress and Invasion of Privacy claims advanced by the Plaintiff.
• American tort of “Public Disclosure of Embarrassing Private Facts About the Plaintiff” as most analogous.
• General Damages awarded totaling $50,000; Aggravated Damages awarded totaling $25,000 and, Punitive Damages awarded totaling $25,000.
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Recent Impactful Decisions on Social Media Users Hyperlinking to Defamatory Content • Crookes v. Newton (2011)
• Supreme Court of Canada • A hyperlink by itself should not be seen as
publication of defamatory content to which it referred
• Only when a hyperlink presents content from the hyperlinked material in a way that repeats the content should the hyperlinker be considered to have published that content.
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Recent Impactful Decisions on Social Media Users Employers Responsibility to Protect Employees Amalgamated Transit Union, Local 113 v. Toronto Transit Commission (Use of Social Media Grievance) (2016) • Ontario Labour Arbitration Awards
• TTC used Twitter account to receive customer service questions.
• Tweets included vulgar, offensive, abusive, racist, homophobic, sexist and threatening comments about TTC’s unionized employees, including personal information identifying the TTC employees.
• Union sought an Order to shut down Twitter account. • Relief denied, but provided detailed directions and
recommendations for the TTC’s use of its Twitter account to protect its employees against harassment.
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Recent Impactful Decisions on Social Media Users Defamatory “GoFundMe” Campaign Zall v. Zall (2016) • British Columbia Supreme Court
• Damages awarded totaling $135,000 • Court also granted injunction, which
enlisted assistance of third parties (individuals and internet service providers) to remove defamatory content from Internet.
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Recent Impactful Decisions on Social Media Users Disclosure of Facebook Account Information Olsen v. Facebook Inc. (2016) • Nova Scotia Supreme Court
• Dispute over allegedly defamatory anonymous Facebook comments about the Applicant.
• Applicant sought disclosure of anonymous individuals’ identity to pursue defamation claim.
• The court concluded that the nature and number of comments by two of the three Facebook account holders overrode any reasonable expectation that they should be entitled to remain anonymous.
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Recent Impactful Decisions on Social Media Users Employee Take Over of HMV’s Twitter • In 2013, disgruntled HMV employees briefly
took over the company’s official Twitter account to express their extreme dissatisfaction at being terminated by the retailer.
• 7 subversive messages were sent before the company regained control of the account and deleted the posts.
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HMV Twitter Fail
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HMV Twitter Fail
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Advice for Social Media Users
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Advice for Social Media Users
1. Treat anything written or said on the Internet as published work with a wide audience;
2. Be careful of defamatory comments from Facebook friends or website readers;
3. Identify your “writing style” on social media; 4. If in doubt remove content from social media; 5. Review their social media postings, profiles,
blogs, websites, etc. for past defamatory comments.
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Advice for Companies and Insurers
1. Centralize Social Media Channels; 2. Control Access Through Limited
Permissions; 3. Get a hand on Passwords; 4. Attitude Shift