Facebook Comments Lead to Criminal Charges in Alberta
3 Comments
Recent Posts
Why the Government’s Plan for Warrantless Access to Internet Subscriber Information Will Lead to Millions of Disclosure Demands Each Year 
The Law Bytes Podcast, Episode 235: Teresa Scassa on the Alberta Clearview AI Ruling That Could Have a Big Impact on Privacy and Generative AI 
What Is With This Government and Privacy?: Political Party Privacy Safeguards Removed in “Affordability Measures” Bill 
More Than Just Phone Book Data: Why the Government is Dangerously Misleading on its Warrantless Demands for Internet Subscriber Information 
Privacy At Risk: Government Buries Lawful Access Provisions in New Border Bill
Still don’t get it
I’ve yet to hear a satisfactory explanation for why criminal libel is still an offence in Canada.
My guess – he criticized a cop.
Unnecessary, but tough point to argue
Like copyright law, libel/slander laws are actually unnecessary in that they resolve a problem which would likely resolve itself. In a world without libel/slander laws you’d have, by necessity, a society more critical of what they hear and one’s word would have it’s own reputation. The words of pathological badmouthers would eventually carry little or no creedence.
That being said libel/slander laws just need more check for abuse as even the threat of a trial, whether with merit or not, may silence someone who is speaking truthfully about wrongoing and such. These laws in their current form threaten open, honest, discourse and one’s right to warn their fellow citizens about scam artists and frauds.
Funny, you insult the wrong person, you could go to jail….
Yet have half a town libel in newsprint an innocent man as a murderer and the cops call it “gossip” and wipe their hands of it.