engine - 5:51 pm on Oct 20, 2011 (gmt 0)

UK: Websites To Carry Libel Risk For Anonymous Posts [bbc.co.uk]

Websites should have protection from defamation cases if they act quickly to remove anonymous postings which prompt a complaint, a report says. A joint parliamentary committee says it wants a "cultural shift" so that posts under pseudonyms are not considered "true, reliable or trustworthy". It says websites which identify authors and publish complaints alongside comments should get legal protection. But Mumsnet said the proposal could have a "chilling effect" on websites.