The International Forum for Responsible Media Blog

Month: October 2023 (Page 1 of 3)

#MeToo six years on: how the courts are handling sexual misconduct defamation claims – Percy Preston

Whilst the origins of the MeToo movement date back to 2006, the movement exploded in 2017 with the help of a Twitter hashtag.  Victims of sexual misconduct across the world were encouraged to speak out.  In 2017 we considered the legal issues arising from making allegations of sexual misconduct online and asked whether it was a risky business. Continue reading

Law and Media Round Up – 30 October 2023

On 26 October 2023, the Online Safety Act received royal assent. The Act sets new obligations for how technology companies should “design, operate, and moderate their platforms.” Ofcom is charged with enforcing the law’s requirements on platforms and will release its codes of practice in three phases beginning 9 November 2023. The Government’s Press Release can be read here. The BBC has more information here. Continue reading

Case Law: Cooper v Evans – Political Advert, Personal or Political? – Floyd Alexander-Hunt

A couple of men sitting in a chair Description automatically generatedOn 12 October 2023, Mr Justice Jay handed down judgement in Cooper v Evans & Anor [2023] EWHC 2555 (KB) in favour of the defendants. The Judge refused the claimant’s (Mr Andrew Cooper) application for an injunction under the Representation of the People Act 1983 (“the RoPA”), which sought to prevent the republication of a political advert published on West Midlands Labour social media pages regarding the claimant, who was at the time a Conservative candidate for the Tamworth by-election (held on 19 October 2023). Continue reading

Where are we now with serious harm? Understanding section 1 of the Defamation Act 2013 – Tom Double

Defamation lawyers had hoped that the Supreme Court’s judgment in Lachaux v Independent Print Ltd & Anor [2019] UKSC 27 (see our blog here) would provide some much-needed clarity on how section 1 of the Defamation Act 2013 should be interpreted.  Prior to Lachaux preliminary issue trials had become something of a bête noire for judges in the Media and Communications List who found themselves having to condemn the disproportionate expense of such trials as well as drawing to the parties’ attention the potential for wasteful duplication of evidence and cross-examination of witnesses if the action proceeded to trial. Continue reading

Reformulating Fundamental Rights and Freedoms in UK Data Protection Law – David Erdos

Data PrivacyIn a little noticed or commented on proposal, the UK Government published draft Regulations last month which would remove the overarching right of data protection from UK law and limit fundamental rights or freedoms within UK data protection law (however and wherever expressed) to rights protected within the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) as recognised by the Human Rights Act 1998. Continue reading

Law and Media Round Up – 23 October 2023

Doughty Street Chambers has announced the sudden and unexpected death of leading media law silk, Heather Rogers KC.  She was one of the most highly respected and brilliant members of the media law bar and an editor of the leading textbook, Duncan and Neill.  She contributed to this blog on many occasions.  She will be sorely missed by her colleagues and her many friends inside and outside the law. Continue reading

Is someone using your pictures to catfish? Your rights when it comes to fake profiles and social media stalking – Rachel Maguire and Aislinn O’Connell

If you’ve ever used a dating app, you’ve probably experienced the disappointment of meeting someone who doesn’t look quite like their photos. You may have even been a victim of catfishing, where someone creates a fake identity to deceive or scam others online. But what if someone uses your photos to catfish someone else? Continue reading

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