Cookies help us display personalized product recommendations and ensure you have great shopping experience.

By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
SmartData CollectiveSmartData Collective
  • Analytics
    AnalyticsShow More
    sales and data analytics
    How Data Analytics Improves Lead Management and Sales Results
    9 Min Read
    data analytics and truck accident claims
    How Data Analytics Reduces Truck Accidents and Speeds Up Claims
    7 Min Read
    predictive analytics for interior designers
    Interior Designers Boost Profits with Predictive Analytics
    8 Min Read
    image fx (67)
    Improving LinkedIn Ad Strategies with Data Analytics
    9 Min Read
    big data and remote work
    Data Helps Speech-Language Pathologists Deliver Better Results
    6 Min Read
  • Big Data
  • BI
  • Exclusive
  • IT
  • Marketing
  • Software
Search
© 2008-25 SmartData Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Public Expression, Liability, and Anonymity
Share
Notification
Font ResizerAa
SmartData CollectiveSmartData Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
  • About
  • Help
  • Privacy
Follow US
© 2008-23 SmartData Collective. All Rights Reserved.
SmartData Collective > Uncategorized > Public Expression, Liability, and Anonymity
Uncategorized

Public Expression, Liability, and Anonymity

Daniel Tunkelang
Daniel Tunkelang
3 Min Read
SHARE

A colleague just sent me a link to a story about a Twitter user being sued for a tweet. At least he’s not being sued in London.

I’m strongly if not absolutely in favor of freedom of expression, so it’s hard not to find such cases depressing. Nonetheless, I don’t think  the legal landscape hasn’t changed.

Rather, what has changed (or accelerated) is that:

  • It is easier for people to express themselves publicly–and hence far more people are doing it.
  • The detached nature of online communication releases people’s inhibitions. Moreover, people not only don’t self-censor, but in some cases are deliberately provocative to attract attention.
  • The speed and efficiency of distribution (especially through search / alerts) means that the people most likely to be or feel damaged by an act of public expression are far more likely to discover that act.

So it’s not surprising that users are being sued for what they say online–it’s an expected consequence of the democratization of publishing, especially in the litigious English-speaking countries on both sides of the pond.

More Read

Data Governance – the Movie
Oracle Must Pivot to Business Applications
Everything is a Platform
How many degrees of separation are there between your developers and users?
The Hadoop Honeymoon Is Over

I’d personally like to see it a higher bar for someone to initiate a defamation lawsuit–let alone win it–but …

A colleague just sent me a link to a story about a Twitter user being sued for a tweet. At least he’s not being sued in London.

I’m strongly if not absolutely in favor of freedom of expression, so it’s hard not to find such cases depressing. Nonetheless, I don’t think  the legal landscape hasn’t changed.

Rather, what has changed (or accelerated) is that:

  • It is easier for people to express themselves publicly–and hence far more people are doing it.
  • The detached nature of online communication releases people’s inhibitions. Moreover, people not only don’t self-censor, but in some cases are deliberately provocative to attract attention.
  • The speed and efficiency of distribution (especially through search / alerts) means that the people most likely to be or feel damaged by an act of public expression are far more likely to discover that act.

So it’s not surprising that users are being sued for what they say online–it’s an expected consequence of the democratization of publishing, especially in the litigious English-speaking countries on both sides of the pond.

I’d personally like to see it a higher bar for someone to initiate a defamation lawsuit–let alone win it–but I’m not holding my breath. Instead, I expect that we’ll see more anonymous expression by people who don’t feel the authenticity of disclosure justified the risk of retaliation. Oh well.

Link to original post

TAGGED:twitter
Share This Article
Facebook Pinterest LinkedIn
Share

Follow us on Facebook

Latest News

sales and data analytics
How Data Analytics Improves Lead Management and Sales Results
Analytics Big Data Exclusive
ai in marketing
How AI and Smart Platforms Improve Email Marketing
Artificial Intelligence Exclusive Marketing
AI Document Verification for Legal Firms: Importance & Top Tools
AI Document Verification for Legal Firms: Importance & Top Tools
Artificial Intelligence Exclusive
AI supply chain
AI Tools Are Strengthening Global Supply Chains
Artificial Intelligence Exclusive

Stay Connected

1.2kFollowersLike
33.7kFollowersFollow
222FollowersPin

You Might also Like

The Social Web as a Customer Support Channel

4 Min Read

Twinterview – Interviewed about Twitter via Twitter

1 Min Read
Social Voice
AnalyticsBig DataMarketingSentiment AnalyticsSocial DataSocial Media Analytics

Solving the Riddle of Measuring Social Voice

5 Min Read

Big Data Republic’s List of Top 20 Big Data Accounts on Twitter

2 Min Read

SmartData Collective is one of the largest & trusted community covering technical content about Big Data, BI, Cloud, Analytics, Artificial Intelligence, IoT & more.

ai chatbot
The Art of Conversation: Enhancing Chatbots with Advanced AI Prompts
Chatbots
AI and chatbots
Chatbots and SEO: How Can Chatbots Improve Your SEO Ranking?
Artificial Intelligence Chatbots Exclusive

Quick Link

  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Follow US
© 2008-25 SmartData Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Go to mobile version
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?