The High Court’s social media comments ruling increases risk for brands too
G Squared director George Photios discusses the ramifications of the latest chapter of one of media’s biggest battles.
The High Court of Australia has ruled that media outlets are legally responsible for comments that appear on their Facebook Pages. The implications of this ruling are extensive, with the ruling setting a precedent that will likely extend to other platforms, and other brands.
This exposes the risks associated with social media. Content is posted multiple times per day, across multiple platforms, often leading to thousands of comments per day. These comments are monitored during business hours, but most commenting occurs outside of business hours, so potentially damaging comments can be left live for hours, or even days, at a time.
