Stories
Slash Boxes
Comments

SoylentNews is people

posted by janrinok on Thursday September 09 2021, @01:36AM   Printer-friendly

High Court finds media outlets are responsible for Facebook comments in Dylan Voller defamation case - ABC News:

The High Court has dismissed an appeal by some of Australia's biggest media outlets including The Sydney Morning Herald and The Australian, finding they are the publishers of third-party comments on their Facebook pages.

Former Northern Territory detainee Dylan Voller wants to sue the companies over alleged defamatory comments on their Facebook pages in the New South Wales Supreme Court.

But the case had been stalled by the dispute over whether the outlets were the publishers of the material. The High Court today found that, by running the Facebook pages, the media groups participated in communicating any defamatory material posted by third parties and are therefore responsible for the comments.

Mr Voller's defamation case had been progressing through the courts until questions arose over whether the outlets were considered the publishers of the Facebook comments, which were posted in reply to articles written between July 2016 and June 2017.

The question was sent to the High Court, and at the core of the case was the definition of publishing.

Lawyers for the media groups told the High Court they might have facilitated the process, but they were not the publishers of the material. But lawyers for Mr Voller told the High Court that, under the law, communication of a defamatory comment did not have to be done intentionally.

"Any degree of participation in that process of communication, however minor, makes the participant a publisher," the lawyers' submissions said.

One of the difficulties for the media groups at the time was that Facebook did not allow them to turn off the comments function.


Original Submission

 
This discussion has been archived. No new comments can be posted.
Display Options Threshold/Breakthrough Mark All as Read Mark All as Unread
The Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not responsible for them in any way.
  • (Score: 0, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 09 2021, @11:17AM (10 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 09 2021, @11:17AM (#1176208)

    A different AC: well, Australia has made an international name for itself as the quickest country to flip into totalitarianism without a revolution. All it took was a relatively undangerous virus as the excuse. Enjoy your house arrest, depending on what state you are in.

    Starting Score:    0  points
    Moderation   0  
       Troll=1, Insightful=1, Total=2
    Extra 'Troll' Modifier   0  

    Total Score:   0  
  • (Score: 2) by c0lo on Thursday September 09 2021, @12:08PM (9 children)

    by c0lo (156) Subscriber Badge on Thursday September 09 2021, @12:08PM (#1176223) Journal

    Good. Stay out mate, we're totalitarians and we love it.

    --
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
    • (Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 09 2021, @12:28PM (8 children)

      by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 09 2021, @12:28PM (#1176227)

      I'm over it, to be honest.

      I had my 2nd jab 2 months ago, now in limbo for another 2 months until the rest of the city reaches 80%.

      Vaccine passports can't come soon enough - we're held hostage by vaccine hesitancy.

      • (Score: 2) by c0lo on Thursday September 09 2021, @12:50PM (7 children)

        by c0lo (156) Subscriber Badge on Thursday September 09 2021, @12:50PM (#1176232) Journal

        Waiting for my second. Could have had it last week, but I wanted to save the trip to get my father two. Two more until the prescribed 6 weeks between the two AZ shots for him. Meanwhile, it's hard to find a free spot around, everybody and their dog is queuing to vax in Melbourne.

        --
        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
        • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 09 2021, @01:39PM (6 children)

          by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 09 2021, @01:39PM (#1176247)

          Jesus, not only can Australia not get vaccines to their people (and holds them hostage meanwhile), but the vaccine is the shit Astra Zeneca that some countries have BANNED because of poor efficacy and a high rate of side effects. Australia, the incompetent totalitarian state. More like Cuba than the Soviet Union. So many passive Australians won't even hold their govt to account, but gladly submit and subject others to the fucking over. Third rate conquered people.

          Apologies to those who did anything to protest the govt shit show.

          • (Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 09 2021, @01:52PM

            by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 09 2021, @01:52PM (#1176256)

            It is what it is.

            There was a Queensland vaccine undergoing trials that had the side effect of testing as HIV positive! So the government panicked and did a deal with the British for Astra Z.

            Except then they scared everyone off by suggesting people get Pfizer instead but there wasn't enough so now they're scrambling to import Moderna.

            Dunno why you're ragging on Cuba - red propaganda always emphasizes Che's medical system as batting above its average.

          • (Score: 2) by c0lo on Thursday September 09 2021, @01:56PM (2 children)

            by c0lo (156) Subscriber Badge on Thursday September 09 2021, @01:56PM (#1176258) Journal

            Apologies to those who did anything to protest the govt shit show.

            You mean those 1000 idiots that tried a superspreader event? A good thing they paid enough fines for the one month wages of the police present to their "event".

            Meanwhile, I continue to work from home, with a good salary paid by an American corporation and my sister gets enough of her money from the funds allocated by the govt to stay safe. The Chinese were gracious enough to pay for the ores at 3x times the normal prices, so that we haven't had a recession yet in Australia.

            --
            https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
            • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 09 2021, @02:31PM (1 child)

              by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 09 2021, @02:31PM (#1176269)

              "Stay safe." colo, if you think the totalitarian control of the populace will magically end when 80% of the population gets vaccinated, you aren't thinking clearly. Having seized outrageous powers for themselves, the people in charge are not the sort to give them up later. They have been shown just how easily they can take it. And the vaccines have shown themselves not to offer guaranteed immunity to the coronavirus. The virus mutates, and the vaccine which was developed for a specific strain becomes less effective. Governments around the world are already talking about (Israel has already done it) mandating a THIRD vaccine dose. The virus panic never ends... unless the people make it end. Coronavirus is endemic and is another virus we have to live with now. Finland and Sweden have decided to live normal lives now, as it is a "background" virus. I hope the weak and old people in your country get their vaccination, as they are the ones who really benefit.

              • (Score: 3, Funny) by c0lo on Thursday September 09 2021, @02:49PM

                by c0lo (156) Subscriber Badge on Thursday September 09 2021, @02:49PM (#1176273) Journal

                "Stay safe." colo, if you think the totalitarian control of the populace will magically end when 80% of the population gets vaccinated, you aren't thinking clearly.

                Wanna bet?
                What if you're wrong and a totalitarian Australian regime is just a figment of your imagination?

                mandating a THIRD vaccine dose.

                If they don't give it for free, I'll pay it from my pocket anyway. The more, the merrier. I mean, what's not to like being connected to 5G via multiple providers? (grin)

                --
                https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
          • (Score: 1) by NPC-131072 on Thursday September 09 2021, @09:23PM (1 child)

            by NPC-131072 (7144) on Thursday September 09 2021, @09:23PM (#1176386) Journal

            the vaccine is the shit Astra Zeneca that some countries have BANNED because of poor efficacy and a high rate of side effects

            Hello fren,

            Why you say that? [capx.co] It's not true. [republicworld.com]

            • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday September 10 2021, @02:20AM

              by Anonymous Coward on Friday September 10 2021, @02:20AM (#1176476)

              The puppet speaks!