Libel for Bloggers: Liability Arising from Blog Comments
Note: Comments and trackbacks are closed because this article will be transferred to the Internet Advocates Philippines.)
We see the explosion of e-groups, blogs, message boards and other fora wherein people share facts, views and opinions in cyberspace. If we consider the huge amount of content written by and about almost everyone in the internet, it is only logical to expect the increasing number of libel cases filed against bloggers.
Internet Libel or e-Libel
At the outset, let us be clear that there is no separate crime known as “internet libel” or “e-libel”. These terms are used simply to refer to libel relating to the internet. Defamation, which includes slander and libel, means injuring a person’s character, fame or reputation through false and malicious statements.
Oral defamation is called slander. Libel, on the other hand, is defamation committed by “means of writing, printing, lithography, engraving, radio, phonograph, painting or theatrical or cinematographic exhibition, or any similar means.” Defamatory statements made on television is libel, even if TV is not a medium expressly enumerated. TV is subsumed in “any similar means,” just like any writings made on the internet.
Also, for a person to be liable for libel, the following elements must be shown to exist: (1) the allegation of a discreditable act or condition concerning another; (2) publication of the charge; (3) identity of the person defamed; and (4) existence of malice. “Publication,” which is one of the requisites, is defined as the “communication of the defamatory matter to some third person or persons.” The internet, while not yet in existence when the law on libel was passed, is a means of communicating. The blogger “publishes” the post or article. Consistent with the fact that radio, theatrical and cinematographic exhibition had spilled over to the internet, other internet writings and publications, including blogs, would fall under “any similar means” of publication
In sum, notwithstanding the assertion of some, including those discussed in the article of Dave Llorito (End of Pinoy blogger’s age of innocence?), there is internet libel or e-libel.
Liability for Blog Comments
Whether e-libel is contemplated under existing laws is no longer the issue. The bigger issue is this: when someone posts a comment in another’s blog and such comment is libelous, is the owner of the blog liable for libel? Let’s weed out two related issues before proceeding. First, if the comment belongs to the blog owner (for instance, as a reply to some other comments in the article), there’s no doubt that the author, who happens to be the blog owner, is liable. This is consistent with the fact that a blogger could be wearing to hats, so to speak.
According to the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF):
Bloggers can be both a provider and a user of interactive computer services. Bloggers are users when they create and edit blogs through a service provider, and they are providers to the extent that they allow third parties to add comments or other material to their blogs.
Second, the webhost is generally not liable. Under the Electronic Commerce Act of 2000 (RA 8792), the service provider is not liable so long as it “does not have actual knowledge, or is not aware of the facts or circumstances from which it is apparent, that the making, publication, dissemination or distribution of such material is unlawful or infringes any rights subsisting in or in relation to such material,” among others things.
Liability for Blog Comments in the United States
According to the EFF, the “vast weight of authority has held that Section 230 [Communications Decency Act] precludes liability for an intermediary’s distribution of defamation” and that “courts have repeatedly rejected attempts to limit the reach of Section 230 to ‘traditional’ Internet service providers, instead treating many diverse entities as interactive computer service providers.” Section 230 defines “interactive computer service” as:
The term “interactive computer service” means any information service, system, or access software provider that provides or enables computer access by multiple users to a computer server, including specifically a service or system that provides access to the Internet and such systems operated or services offered by libraries or educational institutions.
The definition of “provider” is broad enough to include a blogger, so long as he/she is not wearing the second hat — as a user or author.
Liability for Blog Comments in the Philippines
In Philippine jurisdiction, Section 5 (j) of the Electronic Commerce Act of 2000 defines a “service provider” as:
(i) On-line services or network access, or the operator of facilities therefor, including entities offering the transmission, routing, or providing of connections for online communications, digital or otherwise, between or among points specified by a user, of electronic documents of the user’s choosing; or
(ii) The necessary technical means by which electronic documents of an originator may be stored and made accessible to a designated or undesignated third party;
A blog could be considered as a “necessary technical means” by which electronic documents (the Implementing Rules and Regulations use the term “electronic document” interchangeably with “electronic data message”, but in MCC Industrial Sales Corporation vs. Ssangyong Corporation, G.R. No. 170633, 17 October 2007, the Supreme Court ruled that the IRR went beyond the parameters of the law in this respect) are stored and made accessible to undesignated parties, encompassing all internet users that may access the blog. In other words, a blogger may be considered as a “service provider.”
At this point, it is important to make a distinction between a moderated and unmoderated comment component of a blog. A moderated comment means that before a comment is published or posted, a moderator approves it first. An unmoderated comment section exists when a comment is automatically published when the author submits it. If a comment is moderated, then it could be assumed that the moderator was able to read the comment first before approving it. The mere fact that the blog owner removes certain comments does not classify a blog’s comment section as “moderated,” as such action is necessary with the proliferation of spam comments, which are similar to another internet nuisance, spam e-mails.
Notwithstanding such distinction (which may prove crucial in future cases), it is suggested that certain standards should be followed because when it comes to blog comments, among others, there are no established rules in the Philippines relating to e-libel. When a newspaper publishes a comment/letter to the editor that is libelous, there is no issue that the responsible officers of the newspaper are liable. Not so with blogs, wherein we cannot apply the traditional concept of a publisher of a newspaper or periodical. Here are the suggested standards:
1. Anyone who feels aggrieved with a comment posted in a blog must demand from the blog owner that the offending comment be removed or deleted. This could be done through the blog’s “Contact Us” feature or through a comment.
2. If the blog owner refuses to remove the objectionable comment, then he/she could be included in the suit for libel, when proper. In such event, the blog owner, even if he/she is not the author of the comment, could not claim that he/she “does not have actual knowledge, or is not aware of the facts or circumstances from which it is apparent, that the making, publication, dissemination or distribution of such material is unlawful or infringes any rights subsisting in or in relation to such material.”
Of course, contrary arguments could be made, but the discussions above are more consistent with freedom of speech and expression. It is true that freedom of speech is not a license to commit libel, but a blog owner should not be made liable for comments made by other persons, unless that blog owner is fully apprised of the offensive nature of the questioned comment. To hold otherwise would have the effect of stifling the robust exchange of ideas. These, however, are still subject to interpretation by the courts. Until such interpretation is given or until the E-Commerce Law is amended (or a new law enacted) to make it more explicit, bloggers should be mindful of the comments in their blogs.
* This is not a legal advice and should not be considered as such. Please see the Terms.
@pourus: it only shows that the title or the caption is not as important as the body. they may say libel but when the case was presented it was not such but defamation, still the court will not turn its back to decide the case.
@nevermind
I’m sorry but I did not squarely understand what you mean. What do you mean by the title or caption is not as important as the body?
My initial point on this matter is that my understanding of the RPC provisions on libel is that it can be committed not just in writing but also through radio and tv broadcast as stated in Article 355 of the RPC.
On the other hand, my use of this case was mistaken.
Goimon, you said that “simply put blogs are online diaries”. Ahh, there you go. Our exchanges boil down to this definition. It’s true that there a many persons and institutions that refer to blogs, or web logs, as an online diary. In certain respects this is correct. Blogs could serve as platforms on which daily events are written. Blogs are presented in a chronological manner. Just like diaries.
But the similarities don’t go far from there. Traditional newspapers, for instance, now use blogs as a tool for reporting. Individuals have blogs to share their thoughts. These are not “diaries” in the traditional sense. Perhaps one of the reasons why there’s an explosion of blogs is the fact that it’s a very convenient way of sharing one’s thoughts. Blogs are meant to be read, which is why one of the distinguishing features of blogs is the comment section, where others are expected to post comments (although this feature is turned off in some blogs). In fact, if you could show me at least 5 bloggers you know whose blogs are SOLELY for their own individual consumption (off limits to and can’t be accessed by everyone else, just like a diary), I would seriously consider revising my opinion.
On the other hand, intent could be shown by overt acts. Before a blog entry is posted and seen by others, the author presses a button which is labeled “Publish” or something to that effect. Every blogger, even a newbie, knows that. It’s impossible for a post to be published unless the author chose to publish it (except, perhaps, when someone else pressed the “Publish” button without the knowledge and consent of the author, but that’s a matter of defense and, besides, that could also mean that the third person who pressed the button already read the content — and that’s publication).
@atty fred: yes, in reality blogs are meant for public consumption… but in criminal law, this simply must not be presumed…. the core issue to ponder upon is whether or not blogs satisfy the requirement of publication for the prosecution of libel to flourish..
i say no… the difference of blogs and its closest relative, the PAPER, is that in a newspaper, there is the intent to give information… i still advocate that this is not true in blogs, atleast by definition… yes i know in reality, bloggers are people who want to broadcast their thoughts to the whole world since they have no friends to talk to… but by the nature of a blog, in tradition, definition and everything in between, blogs are fairly private in nature….
questions to help this arguement would be
1. are blogs, by nature, intended to give out reliable information for public consumption?
2. are blogs readily accessible to anybody, even the uninclined?
the answers are no and the requirement of publication would be wanting….
what is publication by the way? i found this simple definition “Communication of information to the public.”
like i said before, blogs does not satisfy this definition… a blogger could simply say that he wrote his blog in the net and did not care who will read it… that simple explanation would take out publication from the table.
@goimon
“but in criminal law, this simply must not be presumed”
It is not presumed. It is obvious.
@pourus: its obvious but in paper it should not be presumed… this is criminal law… any doubt would make it a non crime
@goimon
How about on a case-to-case basis, let’s say, on multiply. Before a blog gets published, there is a button labeled “Save & Publish.” Also there are option fields/buttons/circles labeled “Everyone”, “Network,” etc. If the user checked the option “Everyone” then clicked “Save & Publish,” could in not be reasonably concluded that the author wanted to have his blog published?
hindi pa rin sya pwede i consider na publication… hindi ka pwede mag lagay ng bagong cathegory ng publication to make a crime expand… remember the principle of PRO REO?… kaya nga marami ang nag sasabi na idaan sa congress kung gusto nila isama sa libel ang blogs
thank you for this informative post as journalists consider a great deal of libel – they need to have every source of information stored and tracked and made sure they’re correct etc. to avoid their paper’s company get into libel court cases. But then bloggers- how do they have the resources to do all these- it still, reminds them to try to be accurate when they inform. But when they only give opinions though, why not try to hint when you accuse some celeb, for exmaple, then to write down the whole name? does this help?
hi fred! This is an interesting, informative article. Do you mind if I copy and post this article in my blog? I will acknowledge you, of course.
Thanks!
Gay
libel- how can you avoid it when so many bloggers and people with no names just leave terrible comments and everything on internet? Unless those comments create great loss of money and commercial interests and can be proven it’s the comments that caused those impacts will those filing a law suit approach work. It’s hard.
I just hope bloggers will be responsible enough when writing an article. I myself became a victim of a blogger who happens to be the HR Officer (yes, HR Officer) of my previous company. She labelled me as “the other woman” because she found out that my bf is not yet annuled. She didnt mention my name but her description of me was so accurate she even described my clothes (color, design etc) perfectly. I found out the blog through our officemate who read the blog, she called me coz she was able to identify that it was me because of the “accurate” description. I reported this matter to the management but ended up resigning coz the HR Manager, the employees first line of defense acted as the lawyer of the blogger.
I am a blogger myself and it hurts me to see people using their “personal journal” to ruin someone while I work a lot in helping the tourism industry through my own little way….through my blog.
I consulted a lawyer and I’m looking forward to see resolution, I just want this malicious accusation be removed from the net, I just want to uphold my dignity and that of my loving mother.
isnt blogging kinda tacky…? i mean.. who is really interested in the feelings of others? maybe unless theblog is informative and somewhat useful
Atty Fred, given that a blog can be regarded as a publication. How can they prove the identity of the writer of the said blog? Especially if the bloggers are located elsewhere (outside the Philippines). Is the picture (for mulitply, facebook and FS) and name in the said blogspot sufficient enough to accuse someone of libel? How about the law on jurisdiction? What if the said blogspot was done in a country where there is no law on libel,and was read in a country such as the Philippines? How then will this progress?
This topic made me ponder on a certain scenario, what if Person B will intentionally create a multiply and make it look as if it was from Person A, and then post defamatory remarks against himself so that it will look like Person A was the one who posted it? Then Person B will sue Person A for libel. If you are Person A, how can you defend yourself?
All these exchange of ideas had been very informative. Thank you so much. I am currently working on a case of internet libel for a client and I stumbled upon this site.
I am thinking along the same lines as Hardnock since the evidence I have so far do not clearly establish the authorship of the libelous material. A possible way to know the true identity of the blogger is to have his/ her email address and proceed with circumstantial evidence from there. If anyone is willing to share the other ways on how to ascertain the identity of a blogger, i would really appreciate it.
Atty Fred,
I got so interested reading the article made by Atty Fred, I am no genius when it comes to law I admit that. Apparently not until my sister has been involve in a malicious accusation of someone through a blog.
My sister owns an on-line multiply shop, I am also a part-time owner of the shop. It was going on smoothly, not until my sister had an issue with this other on-line seller. They had themselves “fight” over their blogs. Until a fake and offensive multiply account against the other party was made and unfortunately my sister was the one accused to create such. I am very much sure that my sister is not the one who made all these. That is why i kept researching how we will be able to go after these. The other party have made her blog directly accusing my sister who have made the account. How will i be able to stop these. I already consulted a friend lawyer, but he says there is no law here in the Philippines that covers blog writers, until i came up with this site. Please help me with this.
Thank You.
[...] (See a post about this issue here) [...]
great post hope to see some additional comments next Wednesday…adios
?-?, ??????? )
It would be very nice to see bloggers adopting some type of code of ethics whereby they would simply avoid all these problems by removing, or moderating speech that is clearly libelous or invasive of another’s privacy.
I really don’t care what the law says is permissible and what is not, life would be so much easier if everybody adopted the Golden rule and simply did to others only what they want done to themselves.
Regards, Michael Roberts. Internet libel victim’s advocate.
http://www.Rexxfield.com
I thought I wasnt going to like this blog but more I read the more I liked it.
Sign: umsun Hello!!! rcuwwymhyw and 7589ssgfhphzye and 4156Thanks. We look forward to hearing from you again and for your opinions on the world of work.