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IT-659-Q1436: Assignment 8-2
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Blog Scenario
A blog was written about a local businessman where he was falsely accused of
taking a bribe from a contractor. He had not taken any bribe in monetary or non-
monetary form, but his professional character was assassinated by a fake blog. The
accusations were baseless and caused him professional harm. In order to tackle the
situation, several steps can be taken to remove the fake blog and relevant defamation
charges can be filed against the creator of the blog.
Removing the defamatory blog
In the specific situation, it has been observed that an untrue blog has been
written by a local businessman by an anonymous writer. It contains many horrible
accusations about the individual that are unfounded and untrue.
In case the actual identity of the anonymous blogger needs to be known, there is
the option to obtain some of the personally identifiable information relating to the
unknown blog creator. This can be done by subpoenaing the specific hosting website
such as Google, WordPress or any other webhost (Gibson, 2018). Then they can be
potentially pursued to reveal the actual content maker of the false and defamatory blog.
In case the identity of the blogger can be determined, he can be approached and
demanded to voluntarily remove the content. In case the anonymity of the blogger is
maintained, then the Internet Service Provider (ISP), webhost or website must be
contacted. They can be requested to remove the fake blog that is defamatory in nature.
This is the major action that needs to be taken in case the blogger cannot be identified
(Communications, 2018).
It is necessary to review the terms and conditions of the website in which the
blog has been posted so that the exact procedure relating to the blog removal can be
understood. It can help to send the correspondence to the contact person. The specific
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violation of the website’s Terms can also be cited. Based on the ISP, the webhost and
the website and the content of the blog itself, its removal could be initiated. In case, it
does not happen then legal action can be taken.
Once the defamatory case reaches the court of law, it is necessary to be able to
prove the damages. Once it can be proven, a court order can be obtained in which it
declares that the content of the blog is defamatory in nature. It must state that the
content is unlawful and needs to be removed from the online platform (Gibson, 2018).
This court order must be submitted to the website or webhost so that the necessary
action can be taken in order to remove the fake blog. Thus, these are some of the steps
that can be taken for the purpose of removing the blog that contains numerous horrible
accusations that are unfounded and untrue (Communications, 2018).
Defamation charges
The false blog that contains the horrible accusations have the power to adversely
affect the reputation of the innocent victim. So, it is necessary to identify the particular
defamation charges that can be filed against the creator of the blog. In the current
times, blogging and social networking have become integral online tools for online
users to raise their voice (Online Defamation and your Rights, 2018). So they are also
governed by the laws such as the Communications Decency Act of 1996. It can be used
to combat the defamatory content and false accusations that have been made by the
blogger.
Section 230 of the Act can be used for the purpose of questioning the liability of the
ISP that is stored on their servers. At this point, the ISP must take action against the
blogger and remove the fake content otherwise it could face legal issues (Online
Defamation and your Rights, 2018).
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In order to file defamation charges against the creator of the blog, the plaintiff
must first provide that the blogger or defendant made derogatory statement. Then it
must be proved that the defendant made some kind of an unprivileged publication in
form of the blog (Pike, 2018). Thus, the creator of blogger can be charged with
presenting false information. He can be charged with adversely affecting the reputation
of the subject of the blog. In case the plaintiff is a regular person or a concern, then the
act of negligence on part of the blogger can be sufficient to prove the libel (Cnet.com,
2018). But in case, the plaintiff is a well-known or public figure, he has to go the extra
mile in order to prove the real degree of malice that has taken place.
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References
Communications, R. (2018). An Attorney’s Advice for Removing Negative, Defamatory
and Infringing Material from the Internet, by Christine Rafin - Reputation
Communications. Retrieved from https://reputation-
communications.com/article/removing-defamatory-material-from-internet/
Cnet.com. (2018). Bloggers beware: You're liable to commit libel. Retrieved from
https://www.cnet.com/news/bloggers-beware-youre-liable-to-commit-libel/
Gibson, W. (2018). How to Remove a Defamatory Blog Post or Website. Retrieved from
https://www.internetdefamationlaw.com/how-to-remove-a-defamatory-blog-post-or-
site/
Online Defamation and your Rights. (2018). Retrieved from
https://www.reputationhawk.com/onlinedefamation.php
Pike, G. (2018). Getting SLAPPed: Defamation and Your Blog. Retrieved from
http://www.infotoday.com/OnlineSearcher/Articles/Features/Getting-SLAPPed-
Defamation-and-Your-Blog-89349.shtml
