[NetBehaviour] Bloggers face an increase in libel suits.

[marc]

Bloggers face an increase in libel suits.

by Jacqui Cheng.

What you say on your blog or in an online forum could get you sued for 
libel, and you might not be ready for it. Over 50 libel lawsuits have 
been filed in the last two years against those venting their thoughts 
online, with one lawsuit being successful and resulting in the blogger 
paying a fine of $50,000.

The lawsuits so far run the gamut from bloggers being sued over public 
gossip about intimate events, to warning others not to date certain 
people, to unauthorized photos posted on MySpace, to religious 
criticism, and more.

Oftentimes the victims say that the accusations are false and that the 
spread of such information on the Internet is hurting their careers and 
reputations, such as in the case of lawyer Todd Hollis. As we reported 
last June, Hollis is suing the owner of DontDateHimGirl.com, as well as 
seven other women who have posted to the site, over what he claims are 
lies about his sexual orientation, STD status, and more. When searching 
for his name on the Internet, it's certainly hard to find any other 
information on him besides whether or not he has herpes. Few of us would 
want that attached to our names as the first hit on Google.

more...
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20061004-7902.html