PGHIMC - Pittsburgh Independent Media Center

LiveJournal: Will Petrochenko Change Libel Policy?
by Internet Law Journal • Friday, Dec. 04, 2009 at 10:15 AM

LiveJournal’s terms of service prohibit the posting of libelous or defamatory material, but when LiveJournal receives a complaint about such material, all they do is alert their subscriber to the possibility of legal action.

LiveJournal’s pro-libel policy is causing advertisers to look elsewhere.

LiveJournal’s terms of service prohibit the posting of libelous or defamatory material, but when LiveJournal receives a complaint about such material, all they do is alert their subscriber to the possibility of legal action.

Unlike WordPress, a competing blogging platform, LiveJournal does not remove defamatory content.

Several LiveJournal subscribers have posted a great amount of defamatory material about child therapists, making allegations such as:

* Involvement in Internet child trafficking

* Forcing parents to watch torture videos

* Having histories of violent crimes

Several advertisers, when alerted not only to the content being published on LiveJournal but also to LiveJournal’s refusal to do anything about it, have suspended their advertising campaigns with LiveJournal.

Others, including Netflix, are considering doing the same.

Anjelika Petrochenko, LiveJournal’s new North American manager, could not be reached for comment. Petrochenko replaced Tupshin Harper, who managed LiveJournal for several years, and who appears to have been a key architect of the “hands off libelous content” policy that is now impacting LiveJournal’s bottom line.

axisofquackery.wordpress.com/2009/09/11/debunking-a-defamatory-quack/

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