Reacting to content on Facebook can be achieved by commenting, sharing, or probably the most popular method: hitting that Like button. However, a court in Switzerland just convicted a man on defamation claims simply for "Liking" libelous comments posted on the social network.
The comments posted on Facebook referred to an animal rights activist who was accused of "antisemitism, racism and fascism." To be clear, the man in court did not write these comments, he simply hit the Like button for them. These Likes were made between July and September 2015. That's before Facebook expanded the Like button to include several other reactions.
According to CNN, the court in Zurich decided to convict the man on several counts of defamation for hitting the Like button. The reason given was his clicking of the Like button constituted "indirectly endorsing" the comments. But further to that, the court also recognized the act of liking the comments as "further distribution" of them. A statement made by the court said, "The defendant clearly endorsed the unseemly content and made it his own."
Although the defendant has the right to appeal, his punishment for being found guilty amounts to a $4,100 fine. As for Facebook, they are declining to comment on the court case beyond stating the social network sees "no direct link" to the company.
Related
- Facebook Redesigns 'Like' Button, Rolls Out Save, Share ExtensionsFacebook Redesigns 'Like' Button, Rolls Out Save, Share Extensions
Regardless of what comments were made on Facebook, should the act of hitting the Like button result in a lawsuit? What's more clear is, if the comments are libelous, then the person who wrote them can be pursued for prosecution.
However you feel about this court case, it's important to keep in mind such action can be taken against an individual. Does the expansion of the Like button to include several types of reaction to a comment make the situation better or worse? I guess we won't know that until another Facebook Like button lawsuit happens.
Want to break up with one of your Facebook friends? You can unfollow, block, or unfriend that person. Let's look at all the options.
The Commission says Facebook employees knew they could merge accounts but didn't say so.
The Knightscope K5 robot was on patrol in a Mountain View parking lot when the incident occurred.
Relax Man Fined $4K for 'Liking' Facebook Comments stories
In his Harvard commencement address, Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg reminisced about his intentions for starting the social network.
Now, when you click on a trending topic, you'll see a carousel with stories about it.
Now you can have a private conversation during a public Facebook Live broadcast without leaving the interface.
The leaked guidelines say that the comment "someone shoot Trump" is not allowed but "unless you stop bitching I'll have to cut your tongue out" is permissible.
A new study reveals that YouTube is the 'most positive' social media site for young people, while Instagram and Snapchat are 'the most detrimental' to their mental health.
Instead of lumping all clickbait into one category, Facebook will now look at whether a headline withholds information, or if it exaggerates the truth.
Qualcomm on Wednesday filed suit against Apple device manufacturers Foxconn, Pegatron, Wistron, and Compal Electronics for refusing to pay their licensing fees.
A new algorithm will automatically purge posts in your News Feed that link to sites with lots of disruptive or shocking ads.
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said the company will be adding 3,000 employees to 'review the millions of reports we get every week, and improve the process for doing it quickly.'
A Facebook staffer said 'code written by women was rejected much more frequently than code written by their male colleagues.' Facebook says she's working with incomplete data.
Facebook pushed back on the report, but also admitted its research didn't follow the 'established process to review the research we perform.'
Qualcomm fired back at Apple with allegations that Cupertino 'chose not to utilize the full performance' of its modem chips in the iPhone 7, and more.
The judge ruled that the mother was not only well within her rights, but her action was 'almost required by law.'
Standard Innovation, which makes the We-Vibe vibrator, collected user data without permission, a lawsuit alleged.
The whole thing started when he borrowed his wife's phone and logged into Uber.
Entrepreneurs across the country are shaping small cities.
Adobe Document Cloud, the PDF giant, is becoming more adaptable, more extensible, and easier to use than ever. Find out which new features will let you sign a document without a touchscreen, and much more.
Clinicians continue to add to IBM Watson's cancer-assessing repertoire.
Uber's head of finance is the latest executive to leave the company.
Senators want the FBI to find out whether the FCC is telling the truth about the cyberattack that prevented net neutrality comments.
'Formula Fusion' is the spiritual successor to 'Wipeout' from some of its former creators.
Amazon's patent for parachute shipping labels could keep your stuff safer as it lands in your yard.
Magento CEO Mark Lavelle talks chatbots and payments, the business-to-business (B2B) boom, the future of retail and online sales, and why we're past the term "e-commerce."
Laptop keyboard not working? These fixes can help you get back to previously scheduled typing.
Apple has reportedly started making its Siri speaker ahead of a launch later this year.
Android Pay has arrived in Canada, but it's missing some key bank support.
