Social Media

Have you been targeted by negative social media posts?

A business reputation can be seriously damaged by false online posts and reviews, causing loss of customers and profits. Whether the derogatory posts are from a competitor or from a disgruntled employee, or from an unknown third person, the impact on your business can be considerable.

Your personal reputation can also suffer if you are targetted on social media.  Negative social media posts may be from an ex-partner, a colleague, members of an online group or from an anonymous online “troll”.

Contrary to popular belief you do not have to just stand by and watch if you or your organisation are the subject of negative online posts.  There are many things that can be done to seek urgent removal of the post/s, prevent further postings and restore damage to your reputation.

NetRights law firm can advise you on your options and implement an urgent response strategy. It is important to act quickly to minimise damage to your online reputation.

 

Visit www.netrights.co.uk for more information about what we can do to help you, or email us at enquiries@netrights.co.uk or telephone us on 020 7698 4427.

Protecting your reputation as you reopen for business

Even a casual glance at social media these days suggests that every individual reacts differently to the implementation of social distancing measures introduced at businesses to enable their reopening. Some appreciate the steps taken for their safety. Some feel it unnecessary. Others perceive social distancing measures that meet or exceed the guidelines as being inadequate.

Although most business owners and managers welcome the re-opening of their shop, pub or other premises, many have found it challenging to make the necessary arrangements to protect workers and customers. From adapting physical layouts and the flows of people within them to acquiring suitable PPE and disinfectant, many businesses have found implementing social distancing both costly and time consuming.

Imagine then, for a moment, the heartache – and very real business damage – that could be caused by an untruthful customer review, post from a disgruntled employee, or anonymous comment you’re certain came from a competitor:

“It was obvious our waitress had Corona!”

 “That place is so unclean you’re bound to catch the virus there.”

 “There were 100 or more people in the shop when I visited.”

 “The manager put me at risk by making me clean all the surfaces ten times a day.”

“Our manager is forcing us back to work in totally unsafe conditions – we’re virtually on top of each other”.

It might sound a bit far fetched, but we’ve seen content like this ourselves and business owners are clearly worried – calls on the Nick Ferrari’s LBC radio programme filled nearly an hour when the subject came up on his programme last week.

When a person publishes information that can be shown to have actually damaged the reputation of a person or business, and that information is untrue, it might be possible for NetRights to intervene on your behalf. Whether it’s getting the untrue content removed, securing a public redaction or apologies, or seeking financial compensation, we’re often able to remedy the situation before further reputational damage is caused.

[The content of this article is provided for information purposes only and should not be construed or relied upon as legal advice. Please contact NetRights to discuss your circumstances with our friendly and professional team.]

 

 

Would you like to publish online with minimal legal risk?

Do you want to publish a controversial story or statement online or in the press? Or are you going to publish a book or magazine or video? Are you concerned about legal risks such as defamation, breach of confidence, infringement of privacy or trademark or copyright infringement?

Our experienced media lawyer has helped to safely publish and broadcast controversial articles for newspapers and magazines as well as television programmes for Channel 4.

Our aim is to enable you to say all the things that you want to say, but in a way that does not expose you to unnecessary legal risk. We will work closely with you to ensure that whatever it is that you wish to publish, gets published safely.

Contact NetRights on 0207 698 4427 or enquiries@netrights.co.uk for a no commitment fixed cost estimate.

Could carelessness on social media land you in court?

Did you know that you can be sued for posting something online that is not true or for sharing or endorsing a false post made by someone else?  Did you also know that if you are sued, you could be ordered to pay compensation and legal costs and forced to make a public apology?

If the answer to these questions is ‘no’, then you are not alone, as recent research suggests that nearly 50 per cent of the UK’s 45 million social media users are not aware that they are legally responsible for what they do and say online.

Social Media Training for Businesses

When it comes to social media, most businesses will have the usual… Facebook, Insta or LinkedIn accounts locally promoting their offering. This is the standard nowadays. So if we can all agree, whether we like to or not, that the world revolves around good socials as the new standard of advertising, then what does this mean for advertising standards?

Have nude photos of you or your teenager been posted online?

It can be devastating to discover that intimate pictures of you or your teenage son or daughter have been shared online. Unfortunately, not all relationships or friendships last the distance and not every ex-partner deals with a relationship breakup well. Sometimes people will publish or threaten to publish online intimate photographs or videos that they obtained during the relationship as a way of causing distress or embarrassment to their former partner. This unauthorised sharing of private sexual photos or videos is called “revenge porn” and is a behaviour that is on the increase, particularly amongst young adults. It can cause great upset, distress and embarrassment to its victims and their families.

Social Media: The unconscious privacy threat

A patient who is unconscious in an Intensive Care Unit is at their most vulnerable.  Often fighting for their life, the individual is not in control of their body or of their surroundings. In a busy hospital ward, an unconscious patient is seen by many people, from doctors and nurses, catering and cleaning staff to their relatives and friends.

New Media and Communications Court list reflects surge in internet defamation claims by Laura Baglow

On 1 October 2019, the Civil Procedure Rules will be amended to create a new formally designated specialist Media and Communications list in the Queen’s Bench Division. From this date onwards all High Court claims that include a claim for defamation, misuse of private information, data protection and/or harassment by publication must be issued in the new list. New procedural rules will also apply to media and communications cases, including a pre-action protocol. This development reflects the growing increase in media claims in the Courts, after the decline of past decades.

Has your personal information been shared without your permission?

It can be extremely upsetting if your personal information has been shared online or elsewhere without your permission. This could include your financial details or medical information or even details of your address or a photo or video of you. Sometimes a person’s personal information is leaked by mistake by companies or organisations or sometimes it can be shared deliberately by disgruntled individuals such as ex-partners or ex-employees.