BLOG Facts
Information compiled from an article in The Sunday Times May 15,
2005 (Pg.42),
BLOG NO EVIL - Libel laws and angry readers make bloggers regret
their online rants.
Myth 1 - Blogs are the cyber equivalent of my hardcover
diary.
Fact - "Blogs cannot be considered personal space because everyone
can see it. And because of that, the law of defamation still
applies," said Mr. Bryan Tan, a lawyer at Tan and Tan Partnership,
who specializes in IT law.
Myth 2 - My blog is password protected, so it is personal.
Fact -?"You're not off the hook even if you protect your blog with
a password and give access only to certain people. As past
experience with e-mail has shown, it can be copied and forwarded to
the whole world in a matter of minutes".
Myth 3 - What I write in my blog is my personal opinion. I write to
de-stress and express my personal views on the Internet where free
speech is being practiced.
Fact - "The law allows you to have a opinion about something," said
Ms Doris Chia, a partner at Harry Elias Partnership. "The comment
is fair if the facts that support the comment are true and that it
was made without malice".
Said lawyer Tan: "Do be sensitive about what you write. Even if it
is not defamatory, would the person being targeted benefit from
your views? Criticism is not wrong if it is constructive. I would
advise bloggers to think about what they are putting out there and
rectify it before it hurts anyone".
Myth 4 - My blog is on a website hosted overseas, so I cannot be
sued here.
Fact - "Even if defamatory comments are posted on a website hosted
overseas, the content publisher can be sued in a country where the
website has been accessed".
Myth 5 - I am a minor, so I cannot be charged.
Fact - "A person does not have to be of a minimum age to be
charged".
That's exactly what he wrote...
