Trolls could face penalties for Seibold slander
Online trolls spreading scurrilous rumours about Broncos coach Anthony Seibold could face real penalties, with experts saying that along with being sued they could also be charged with committing a criminal offence.
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Online trolls spreading scurrilous rumours about Broncos coach Anthony Seibold could face real penalties.
The coach has been the victim of cruel and false statements attacking himself and his family with one defamation expert saying knowingly sending untrue statements is a criminal offence.
Media Lawyer Justin Quill is an expert in defamation law and said simply sending a defamatory message to someone left people liable for defamation.
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“Everyone understands that The Courier-Mail or the 6pm news can defame someone, but people don’t necessarily understand or appreciate the same is the case for a publication via Facebook, WhatsApp, Twitter or any other social media,” Mr Quill said.
“If people think they are in a different category to a traditional media publication because they’re sending it to a few friends or posting it on social media, they are wrong.”
It is also a criminal offence in Queensland to publish something defamatory that you know to be false.
“The person can be sued civilly but they are also committing a criminal offence and although it is uncommon, this is exactly the sort of thing that it should be used for,” Mr Quill said.
Senior Lecturer and Researcher of Psychology at Federation University Evita March said cyber abuse could be as harmful emotionally as face-to-face abuse.
“From what research has shown it’s exactly the same as experiencing face-to-face bullying. There is no difference between the psychological outcome such as impact on self-esteem, anxiety, depression and sleeplessness.
“One study even found experiencing abuse online can have more of an impact because it’s everywhere, you can’t escape it.”