If you follow international legal news, you may have noticed that on Friday 29 July 2022 judgment was handed down in the high-profile defamation case between Rebekah Vardy and Coleen Rooney. The full judgment is available here. The case was informally referred to as the “Wagatha Christie trial” – a play on the famous British … Continue reading Naming and shaming on social media in South Africa
Tag: social media defamation
Naming and shaming on social media in the era of #AmINext and #MeToo
Recently, accounts on Twitter such as @AmINext_sa, @HSurvivers3, @helpsurvivers, and @DBN_survivors have posted anonymous allegations of rape and serious sexual abuse. In under two days, the Durban account has amassed almost 20 000 followers. In the posts on these accounts, alleged perpetrators are named and shamed with full detail and pictures (in some pictures, in addition to the … Continue reading Naming and shaming on social media in the era of #AmINext and #MeToo
Naming and shaming on Facebook and social media
A recent Pretoria High Court judgment has vividly illustrated the dangers of naming and shaming on Facebook. In Hechter v Benade [full judgment - PDF], decided on 5 December 2016, the court ordered the defendant to pay R350 000.00 in damages for defamation, plus legal costs and interest. The dispute centered around two neighbours, … Continue reading Naming and shaming on Facebook and social media
Interdicts and #StateCapture
A highly anticipated legal battle is underway in the North Gauteng High Court today (1 November 2016). President Jacob Zuma, Mineral Resources Minister Mosebenzi Zwane and Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Des van Rooyen are seeking to interdict (prevent the disclosure of) former Public Prosecutor, Thuli Madonsela’s findings on the so-called #StateCapture allegations.Briefly, State … Continue reading Interdicts and #StateCapture
Facebook Defamation
Facebook DefamationAs discussed recently, defamation on social media platforms, and more particularly Facebook, is becoming less of a phenomenon and more of a norm. Statistics released in the latter half of 2012 demonstrate that we are witnessing a seismic shift in our contact and connection methodologies. Even the American Bar Association has changed their Model … Continue reading Facebook Defamation
Online defamation
Online defamationInternet usage increasing exponentially Given the vast amount of people using social media, and the increase in internet penetration, a legal query that is emerging more and more regularly is the following: how do I deal with online defamation?At first blush it appears a relatively straight forward enquiry into the law of defamation. However, … Continue reading Online defamation
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