Bloggers Beware

Biosphere, the surface and atmosphere of the Earth where living organisms thrive, is governed by the rule of law. Anybody running foul of the law will be summarily dealt with. It could be a criminal act, or it could be the result of a civil suit such as libel and defamation.

Then blogosphere comes along, and its denizens have been happily blogging away; some spontaneous, some considered, some are reminiscences; some are rants, calling names in a moment of irate outburst. Unlike newspapers that report on real life events and are subject to prior verification before being published, and hence can be sued for misrepresentation and falsification, these personal posts are thought to be nothing more than online diary pages. Consequently, bloggers may be under the impression that they can just shoot their mouths off without having to worry about any legal implications, i.e., litigation-proof.

But, think again. Recent court rulings as reported in USA Today, Courts are asked to crack down on bloggers, websites, are raising the specter that bloggers’ posts are increasing being held to the same level of veracity as would journalism. Gone could be the days when the blogosphere is likened to the Wild Wild West.

So next time when you have something to blog about that even remotely resembles a rant, prudence would dictate that you first consult a lawyer or at least display a disclaimer as follows like this blogger:

(The owner of this blog assumes no responsibility for any errors, or inaccuracies of its content)