The internet is a great way to connect with millions of people across the world, but with publishing online comes some risks. Liability problems are one of the risks of publishing on the internet.
Here are some tips on how to avoid liability problems.
1. Do not damage the reputation of a person, group or organization. This can be considered defamation or false light.
2. Do not publish any personal information without the consent of that person, even if the information isn’t factually true.
3. Section 230 of the Communication Decency Act covers your publishing/editing rights as a third party in some instances but not in all situations. So make sure you are covered before you do anything.
4. You may not publish any person’s, group’s or organization’s “intellectual property” without permission. A few examples would be trademarks and logos.
5. You must reveal any type of relationship you have with a product or company, in terms of endorsement deals.
The nice thing about the internet is that it can be fixed. If you have published something in the past that violates these tips, you can always go back and change it. This also makes you more reputable when you publish things online in the future.
Taylor Paulson 