Peter Petrovski

The Age:

In a move that could change the nature of the social networking site forever, companies could be fined or publicly shamed for the comments that appear on their Facebook ”brand” pages.

This is a major ruling that will mean companies are directly responsible for comments posted on their Facebook pages. This includes comments that are not just vulgar or discriminatory, but even factually inaccurate.

Companies could be liable for anything posted on their Facebook pages that can be reasonably proven as false. Brands with a large Facebook presence will need to ensure their activity is adequately resourced, or potentially face a lawsuit.