Internet libel case won.

There is an article of interest to all English Bloggers in today’s Technology Guardian. The High Court has found in favour of a libel claim by a former Conservative Party member. Mr Michael Keith-Smith has been awarded £10,000 in damages plus £7,200 in costs.

The libel was perpetrated on a Yahoo internet message board, but a blog posting would almost certainly be treated by the courts in the same manner.

(I am extremely glad that Ken Livingstone doesn’t have a blog. It could only cause problems. Of late, our London Mayor has seemed unable to keep from embroiling himself further in controversy every time he opens his mouth).

The Phantom doesn’t intend to use this blog to call anyone a “lard brain”, a “Nazi”, a “racist bigot” or a “nonce”, as the unsuccessful defendant in the case did. But we would all do well to bear in mind that, (like the old police caution), anything we say could be used against us.

I work in a college library. What really horrifies me in this case is that the defendant, Tracy Williams, works as a college lecturer. What hope have our young students got when their teaching staff can be so stupid?