The following was taken from a respected UK IT News Site....

Self-censorship
Companies that run websites where opinions can be freely expressed are nervous of libel laws, and for good reason. In the UK, there is no legal precedent to say whether the author of a defamatory statement made on a website is solely responsible for it.

One web user brought a case against the ISP Demon Internet, saying that it was liable for untrue statements about him posted on a website because it was the 'publisher', like a newspaper. The case was settled out of court, and the principle of 'notice and take down' was established.

This often means that ISPs will remove material when notified that it is potentially libellous, regardless of whether it's actually true (and therefore perfectly legal).

But there is no guarantee that an ISP or site owner would be protected from prosecution in the event of a libel action, so don't be surprised if your strong opinions or statements get you barred from a website.

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Posted By: Ben, Oct 31, 23:04:17