CHANGES to laws regarding who is liable for third-party Facebook comments are set to have widespread implications on media outlets and Facebook community groups across Australia.
In September, the High Court made amendments to these laws after defamatory social media comments towards Dylan Voller, whose mistreatment in a youth detention centre in the Northern Territory resulted in a royal commission.
The decision means Facebook users and media outlets are liable for any defamatory comments from the general public on their posts.
Subsequently, large-scale media companies in Australia are forced to meticulously filter out any comments that may constitute defamatory conduct.
Since the ruling, public figures in Australia have made the decision to disable comments on their personal Facebook accounts. Tasmanian Premier Peter Gutwein took to Facebook to justify his choice.
“We know social media is a 24/7 medium, however, our moderation capabilities are not,” Gutwein said. “As a result, there will be some changes to how users can interact with this page going forward.”
However, these new laws also have serious implications on community Facebook groups.
Facebook group admins must make the choice to either follow suit with Gutwein or moderate the comments sections of their posts to avoid defamation.