You are Not Responsible For Comments

TrafficProducer · #1 (**permalink**) 06-29-2008, 09:29 AM

Are Web Sites Responsible For Their Commenters? No, Thank God

A nice bit of sanity from the U.S. judicial system: A ruling that Web site operators can't be held responsible for comments users leave on their pages.

Jaxxy · #2 (**permalink**) 08-20-2008, 08:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TrafficProducer

Are Web Sites Responsible For Their Commenters? No, Thank God

A nice bit of sanity from the U.S. judicial system: A ruling that Web site operators can't be held responsible for comments users leave on their pages.

Lovely! Does this cover all user-posted content? Essays, stories, editorials, libel?

Thanks!

TrafficProducer · #3 (**permalink**) 08-21-2008, 06:12 PM

Quote:

Does this cover all user-posted content? Essays, stories, editorials, libel?

Doubt it, this leave this open to just what and what not are covered.

Things have to be tested in court, to find out, and then with rights of appeal these issues may be overturned.

I guess if you can show you took ever possible method of stopped bad comments you may have some way of at least reducing any court damages.

locking · #4 (**permalink**) 08-21-2008, 06:52 PM

Hello everyone

I believe that everything that site owners do not write, he should not be responsible for.
Internet freedom, you can say, well, everyone will of course be able to comment freely and to be able to verify all entries owner must have a lot of people who do it, it does not work at all with smaller sites there is only one webmaster.
Otherwise think what it would look be like if we would have to go to court for every stupid comment

Jaxxy · #5 (**permalink**) 08-21-2008, 11:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by locking

Hello everyone

I believe that everything that site owners do not write, he should not be responsible for.
Internet freedom, you can say, well, everyone will of course be able to comment freely and to be able to verify all entries owner must have a lot of people who do it, it does not work at all with smaller sites there is only one webmaster.
Otherwise think what it would look be like if we would have to go to court for every stupid comment

My plight is one of the more difficult -- I am sole proprietor of my website, and we have well over a million people coming and going, many certainly posting, every month. We cannot review all things published; we don't even try!

For the rules we do have, we have a team of "Scouts" -- they, and better-natured users, report TOS-breakers as they see them -- but in no way can we see everything. I would definitely like sites like mine, if the law does not cover me in general, to receive special consideration, due to sheer traffic mass. It's a bear, and not a cub.

pixma85 · #6 (**permalink**) 08-23-2008, 02:07 AM

Its the same thing as being sued for someone's bumper stickers on their car at your retail stores parking lot.

Jaxxy · #7 (**permalink**) 08-24-2008, 03:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pixma85

Its the same thing as being sued for someone's bumper stickers on their car at your retail stores parking lot.

You know, you might have a point! Thought about that for a while, and I think it works pretty well. Hope Judge Smudge thinks so, too. So many grey areas in Internet law I'm about fit to yak up a... yak..

Except, you know, cars can drive away... and my website, being an archive of literature, we don't delete anything unless it breaks our house rules.

Hmmm, neat analogy, made me (much-neededly) giggle.