The
internet makes it easy to shop, share and socialise, but it also makes it very easy to break the law without realising it. Here are a few tips to help you stay on the right side of the law this Christmas.
- Be careful what you say…
What you say on Twitter can have legal repercussions. Tweets are generally knocked out without much thought, but if there’s a dispute, you may need to justify what you’ve said in court. Former New Zealand cricket captain Chris Cairns was awarded £90,000 in damages after allegations on Twitter that he was involved in match-fixing.
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- …Even if you don’t say it first
Defamation law can apply even if you’re just repeating what someone else has said. So if you retweet a defamatory remark, without adding anything of your own to it, you could still be legally obliged to defend it.
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- Be careful what you use
Using other people’s intellectual property such as logos can get you into trouble, especially if they don’t like what you’re saying about them. Companies protect their brands online and offline and many of the biggest brand owners use sophisticated technology to search the internet regularly to see how people are using their trademarks online.
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- Just because you’ve paid doesn’t mean it’s legal
Some download or streaming sites offer films and music for a fee – but they may be selling pirated copies, and if you’re using them, that means you’re in the wrong. Some of these sites also carry malware which could infect your computer. Only download or stream material from reputable companies which can prove they’re legitimate.
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- Take care with photos
Unless you’ve taken them yourself, someone else probably owns the intellectual property rights on any photos you might be thinking of using on your website or social networking profile. They’re more likely to pursue you for payment if you’re using the pictures for a commercial venture.
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- Look after personal information responsibly
If you collect personal information on your website, under the*Data Protection Act you must specify what this information will be used for and make sure you’ve received the person’s consent to use the information.
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- Websites should be for everyone
The Equality Act 2010 states that websites should be accessible to blind and disabled users. This includes elements like text descriptions of pictures (which can be read by text-to-speech software) and avoiding colour blends which are likely to confuse people who are colour blind.
- Sharing is dangerous
Copying music or movies without permission is technically illegal, and sharing them online, even with your friends, could get you into trouble. It’s also illegal to upload copyrighted files without the permission of the copyright holder. If it doesn’t look official, it probably isn’t.*
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- Just because everyone is doing it, doesn’t mean it’s legal
Whether they’re sharing music, or retweeting defamatory remarks, it’s easy to think that just because other people are getting away with it, you will too. Lord McAlpine threatened to sue 10,000 Twitter users for spreading unwarranted rumours about him following the Jimmy Savile sex scandal in 2012.
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