There are Consequences to Posting Defamation on the Internet

Posting Defamation Online - Legal Consequences

Recently, Yair Cohen, Social Media Lawyer was on BBC Radio Devon with Janet Kipling and they were discussing the consequences of posting defamation on the internet. 

It used to be a perception that the internet was a completely different  planet and that you could say what you wanted on there, as though there are two different societies: offline and online. Offline was heavily policed with laws, regulations and courts and online there wasn't anything. You can say what you want and there isn't any law to stop you. Well, things are certainly changing. 

Listen to how parents were told that there was nothing the police could do about defamation of character when one woman, who started posting untrue allegations online about parents and children at a school ended up being jailed for 9 years. 

There can be serious repercussions for people that post untrue statements about people online: Hefty legal costs, damages and prison. Things are certainly changing and it is becoming a very serious issue for the people that are involved.