Thinking about liking that racist meme or conspiracy theory on Facebook? Well, don’t do it when you’re in Switzerland.
A Swiss court fined a man 4,000 Swiss francs for libel after he “liked” a post that he could not prove to be true.
The man, who was not named in the court’s statement, “liked” several posts written by a third party that accused an animal rights activist of antisemitism, racism and fascism.
In court, the man was not able to prove that the claims were accurate or could reasonably be held to be true.
“The defendant clearly endorsed the unseemly content and made it his own,” a statement from the court said.
It will be interesting to see whether other countries make similar judgments to help combat the spread of “fake news,” and whether companies like Facebook that facilitate the posts will ever be held responsible. CNN notes that this is the first time a “like” has been considered an endorsement in court. Whether Facebook’s new reactions “love, etc.” are considered endorsements remains to be seen.
In the meantime, Curt Schilling should probably stay away from Switzerland.
[CNN]
