Facebook's revenge porn trial: What will the consequences be?
Legal action featuring 14-year-old girl from Belfast 'could open the floodgates for other civil cases', warns lawyer
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
You are now subscribed
Your newsletter sign-up was successful
A legal case alleging that Facebook is liable for photos published on its website could radically change the way social media companies deal with explicit images.
What does the case involve?
A 14-year-old girl from Belfast is taking Facebook to court, arguing the company is liable for the publication of a naked picture of her posted repeatedly as an act of revenge on a "shame page".
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The girl, who cannot be named for legal reasons, alleges misuse of private information, negligence and breach of the Data Protection Act by Facebook.
Northern Ireland's high court rejected Facebook's attempt to have the case thrown out last week and a trial will begin early next year.
Is this a common problem?
Facebook has acted against so-called "revenge pornography" and "sextortion" since 2012, removing nude images when they are reported.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
However, "recent events have shown just how difficult it is for Facebook to navigate the precarious path between censorship and protection, openness and responsibility", says The Guardian.
Last month, the company faced heavy criticism after it repeatedly removed Nick Ut's iconic 1972 photograph of a naked girl fleeing a napalm attack in Vietnam.
What could the consequences be?
Potentially massive. The case has already resulted in "victims of revenge pornography seeking advice about whether they too could have grounds for legal action", says The Guardian. They may also seek damages.
"A case like this risks opening the floodgates for other civil cases to be taken against Facebook and other social media sites," says media lawyer Paul Tweed.
The suit also raises wider questions over whether Facebook is really just a platform for third-party content or whether it should instead be deemed, as many argue, a news and content publisher, which would make it accountable for images posted on it.
-
Political cartoons for February 16Cartoons Monday’s political cartoons include President's Day, a valentine from the Epstein files, and more
-
Regent Hong Kong: a tranquil haven with a prime waterfront spotThe Week Recommends The trendy hotel recently underwent an extensive two-year revamp
-
The problem with diagnosing profound autismThe Explainer Experts are reconsidering the idea of autism as a spectrum, which could impact diagnoses and policy making for the condition
-
Epstein files topple law CEO, roil UK governmentSpeed Read Peter Mandelson, Britain’s former ambassador to the US, is caught up in the scandal
-
Iran and US prepare to meet after skirmishesSpeed Read The incident comes amid heightened tensions in the Middle East
-
Israel retrieves final hostage’s body from GazaSpeed Read The 24-year-old police officer was killed during the initial Hamas attack
-
China’s Xi targets top general in growing purgeSpeed Read Zhang Youxia is being investigated over ‘grave violations’ of the law
-
Panama and Canada are negotiating over a crucial copper mineIn the Spotlight Panama is set to make a final decision on the mine this summer
-
Why Greenland’s natural resources are nearly impossible to mineThe Explainer The country’s natural landscape makes the task extremely difficult
-
Iran cuts internet as protests escalateSpeed Reada Government buildings across the country have been set on fire
-
US nabs ‘shadow’ tanker claimed by RussiaSpeed Read The ship was one of two vessels seized by the US military