Facebook defamation Down Under

Australian IT reports on what is apparently the first Australian case where Facebook has been met with threats to sue:

A VICTORIAN man has published public apologies in two major papers after comments he made about a family through his Facebook page.

The public notices have cost the man about $400 after he was threatened with suits for defamatory allegations against individuals he had known some years before.

While contacting an "add friend" through his Facebook page, the man sent a private message making the allegations of criminality.

But his new Facebook friend was also a friend of the family he was making the allegations against, and the message was passed on to others across two states.

Defamation expert Brian Walters, QC, said it was the first Australian case he had heard where the social networking site had been met with threats to sue.

But Mr Walters said the internet and social pages were a minefield for defamation.

"For a case of defamation you just need to communicate from one person to another," he said.

"The problem with the internet is it's so easy for people to write anything on it and it's so instant and far reaching and difficult to control."

In his published apology, the man said the allegations were false and offensive.

"They were said out of haste and did not reflect the truth and I regret making them," he said.

Read more here.