Social media and the internet in general have changed our lives for the better in so many ways … but they have also opened a potential Pandora’s box of trouble. The increased visibility that websites bring has proven to be a doubled-edged sword, as there are as many possibilities for mischief and malice as there are for marketing.  Between business and employer review platforms like Yelp and Glassdoor and the ever-ubiquitous Facebook posts, nobody is completely safe from social media or internet defamation, no matter how hard you try. Still, there are certain steps you can take to protect your reputation and remove untrue or defamatory comments that can negatively impact your business.

There are several different steps that you can take against an individual or entity that is harming you through internet defamation, including holding them liable through a personal injury lawsuit to possibly filing criminal charges. Though these steps may seem extreme, they may be necessary if you are suffering personal anguish, loss of business or profits, or damage to your reputation as a result of the statements that are being made online.

There are several different ways that internet defamation can take shape, including a damaging post being published on your Facebook page or on a group page that is important to you or your business; a tweet being posted on Twitter or on your Twitter profile, or fake reviews being posted that discourage customers from buying from you or potential employees from working for you.

There are a few steps you can take to prevent false statements from being published about you and causing you harm. With regard to your own profile, make sure that your privacy settings are set to prevent those unknown to you from posting negative comments. There are digital risk protection services that can help with this task, and that can also help you report, flag, and request removal of defamatory content. There are also actions you can take if you’ve already been a victim. Start by preserving the defamatory content and contacting an attorney. Though you may be tempted to delete what you see, saving the information via a screenshot or through a tool like Page Vault is essential to proving your case.

An experienced attorney can take several steps to stop defamation in its tracks. These may include something as simple as sending a cease and desist letter or as complicated as contacting the platform on which the comments were made. For information on how we can help, contact us today to set up a time to chat.