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Man Fined $4,000 For 'Liking' Defamatory Posts on Facebook (cnn.com)

In what appears to be a first, a court in Switzerland has fined a man the equivalent of over $4,000 just for clicking the "like" button on what a judge said were defamatory Facebook comments. From a report: The court in Zurich found that the man indirectly endorsed and further distributed the comments by using the ubiquitous Facebook "like" button. The man, who was not named in the court's statement, "liked" several posts written by a third party that accused an animal rights activist of antisemitism, racism and fascism. In court, the man was not able to prove that the claims were accurate or could reasonably be held to be true. "The defendant clearly endorsed the unseemly content and made it his own," a statement from the court said. The court fined the man a total of 4,000 Swiss francs ($4,100). He has the right to appeal his sentence. Facebook said the case had "no direct link" to the company, and a spokesperson declined to comment.

6 of 210 comments (clear)

  1. That's a lot of value judgement... by supernova87a · · Score: 4, Interesting

    ... for a court to be putting into a "like" button.

    For one thing, does "liking" using the button imply endorsement? Does "like" mean what they think it means? Or was the person's intention? And what if it was inadvertent clicking?

    What if the button was called "interesting..." instead?

    You would think that a court would restrain itself and hesitate to rule, given so many possibilities of meaning and ambiguities here...

    1. Re:That's a lot of value judgement... by BitterOak · · Score: 3, Interesting

      ... for a court to be putting into a "like" button. For one thing, does "liking" using the button imply endorsement?

      Exactly. You read a post which says someone you don't like is a child molester. You had no knowledge of that, but you're thrilled to find out. (I'm assuming you really disliked this person.) Therefore you really like the news the post reveals, so you click "Like". It turns out the story was not true. Why should you be guilty of slander? Like doesn't mean you think the news is true; it means you like the news.

      --
      If I can be modded down for being a troll, can I be modded up for being an orc, or a balrog?
  2. Re:This is Why by bit+trollent · · Score: 1, Interesting

    Trump sued someone for libel in the amount if 5 billion doallrs, for claiming he was not actually a billionaire. Donald Trump was unable to prove that he actually had assets worth a billion dollars in court.

    The difference is that when Donald Trump sues you, he's not suing you for lying. Donald Trump sues you for telling the truth.

    Citation Provided

    Like with his treasonous collaboration with Russia's crimes in the USA, Donald Trump was his own worst enemy. When he filed the lawsuit Trump was subjected to a hilarious deposition where is constant lying was the topic of discussion.

    Fast forward 10 years and Donald Trump has highlighted the fact that he has been exposed as a traitor by firing FBI director James Comey.

  3. Re:Read the summary by DogDude · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I disagree, AC. By hitting "Like", you're intentionally distributing whatever you "liked" to whoever is in your network. The effect is the same as posting something yourself. I think it's defamation, and again, I agree with this court. I'd love to see that same decision enforced all over the world. It would really make people think twice before spreading all sorts of garbage. And if they didn't think twice, they'd be sued.

    --
    I don't respond to AC's.
  4. Re:Read the summary by HalAtWork · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Then the button needs to be called "Endorse and support" and not "Like," so that it is explicit in its meaning to both the user and the viewer

  5. Uranium One by mpercy · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Bill and Hillary Clinton enriched themselves through shady deals with Russian oligarchs and Russian government, quite possibly using her power as then SecState to enable the deal while she was pocketing millions.

    Even the NY Times described it thusly: "Cash Flowed to Clinton Foundation Amid Russian Uranium Deal"

    "Whether the donations played any role in the approval of the uranium deal is unknown. But the episode underscores the special ethical challenges presented by the Clinton Foundation, headed by a former president who relied heavily on foreign cash to accumulate $250 million in assets even as his wife helped steer American foreign policy as secretary of state, presiding over decisions with the potential to benefit the foundation's donors."

    "Uranium investors' efforts to buy mining assets in Kazakhstan and the United States led to a takeover bid by a Russian state-owned energy company. The investors gave millions to the Clinton Foundation over the same period, while Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton's office was involved with approving the Russian bid.

    SEPTEMBER 2005 Frank Giustra, a Canadian mining financier, wins a major uranium deal in Kazakhstan for his company, UrAsia, days after visiting the country with former President Bill Clinton.

    2006 Mr. Giustra donates $31.3 million to the Clinton Foundation.

    JUNE 2008 Negotations begin for an investment in Uranium One by the Russian atomic energy agency, Rosatom.

    2008-2010 Uranium One and former UrAsia investors make $8.65 million in donations to the Clinton Foundation. Uranium One investors stand to profit on a Rosatom deal.

    2010-2011 Investors give millions more in donations to the Clinton Foundation.

    JUNE 2010 Rosatom seeks majority ownership of Uranium One, pending approval by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, of which the State Department is a member.

    JUNE 29, 2010 Bill Clinton is paid $500,000 for a speech in Moscow by a Russian investment bank with ties to the Kremlin that assigned a buy rating to Uranium One stock.

    OCTOBER 2010 Rosatom's majority ownership approved by Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States.