Moderating posts on a review website. What are the requirements and what should your policy be?
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Our forum has an international audience, so how does this affect liability?
UK law is relatively stringent when it comes to the liability of website and forum operators in defamation. Compare this for example to the law in the USA, whether you as a forum operator or a review website moderate posts or not, you are immune from liability. As such, in most cases an international audience does not usually require you to meet more stringent requirements.
In relation to moderating posts on your website what are the requirements and what should your policy be?
To moderate all comments on a high-traffic forum is naturally a very time-consuming and perhaps unrealistic task. Consequently, taking down posts upon notification and evaluation might be adequate, although this is not necessarily a requirement for a UK based website. Some website operators choose not to moderate at all or in a proactive manner, but remove anything obviously untoward.
We recommend that forum and review website operators add a link on each page of the website which clearly directs users to the process for reporting inappropriate content. Your liability to any posts by users could be determined by the way in which you respond to the notification of defamatory comments and posts on your website.
If you feel that you need to have a quick legal opinion in relation to certain users' posts on your website, or advice on what your removal policy should be, please feel free to get in touch and we will help. Our lawyers provide on the spot legal advice to put to rest concerns by website and online forum operators regarding policies and legal notices.
After you have instructed us once, we will be able to effectively serve as your legal counsel in a manner that will allow you to deal with legal issues quickly and cost effectively and which will remove your worries and concerns about the any legal aspects concerning operating your website.
