By MARK PEARSON
Colleague Susan Grantham and I have written a new book – Social Media Risk and the Law: A Guide for Global Communicators – now in production for publication by Routledge later this year.
We offer professional communicators strategies for taking advantage of social media while also navigating the ethical, legal, and organisational risks that can lead to audience outrage, brand damage, expensive litigation and communication crises.
We take a global approach to risk and social media law, drawing on case studies from key international jurisdictions to explain and illustrate the basic principles.
Of course, an international approach means we need to direct readers to more detailed information about social media laws in their own jurisdictions. We encountered many resources for this purpose along the way, and offer this compilation as a starting point for social media managers wanting to learn more …
Social media law resources for professional communicators – a starting point
Here are some starting points for further information about the main social media law topics covered in our book – Grantham, S. and Pearson, M. (2021, forthcoming). Social Media Risk and the Law: A Guide for Global Communicators. Routledge: Oxon and NY. Topics covered include general information, news, human rights and free expression, cases, business and corporate laws, crime and justice, defamation, intellectual property and privacy/confidentiality. [Thanks to inforrm.org for some useful suggestions. Many more media law blogs and UK resources are listed there.]
International
General, miscellaneous and news
Guardian media law blog – https://www.theguardian.com/media/medialaw
International Forum for Responsible Media blog – https://inforrm.org/
Shear on Social Media Law – https://www.shearsocialmedia.com/media_opportunities
Human rights and free expression
Universal Declaration of Human Rights – https://www.un.org/en/universal-declaration-human-rights/
Article 19 – article19.org
Reporters Without Borders – https://rsf.org/en
IFEX – International Free Expression – https://ifex.org/
Index on Censorship – https://www.indexoncensorship.org/
Transparency International – https://www.transparency.org/en
Media Defence – https://www.mediadefence.org/about/
Cases and news
World Legal Information Institute – http://www.worldlii.org/countries.html
Business laws and regulators
International Consumer Protection and Enforcement Network (ICPEN) – https://icpen.org/
Consumers International – https://www.consumersinternational.org/
International consumer protection agencies – https://www.ftc.gov/policy/international/competition-consumer-protection-authorities-worldwide
List of securities regulators internationally – https://www.iosco.org/about/?subsection=membership&memid=1
Crime and justice
UN Global Programme on Cybercrime – https://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/cybercrime/global-programme-cybercrime.html
Defamation
International Press Institute – International Standards on Criminal and Civil Defamation Laws – http://legaldb.freemedia.at/international-standards/
Intellectual property
World Intellectual Property Organisation – https://www.wipo.int/portal/en/index.html
Directory of intellectual property offices – https://www.wipo.int/directory/en/urls.jsp
Privacy and confidentiality
Global Privacy Enforcement Network – https://www.privacyenforcement.net/
International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP) – https://iapp.org/
Africa
General and miscellaneous
Collaboration on International ICT Policy in East and Southern Africa (CIPESA) – https://cipesa.org/
Human rights and free expression
African Freedom of Expression Exchange (AFEX) – https://www.africafex.org/
African Union – Democracy, Law and Human Rights – https://au.int/en/democracy-law-human-rights
Freedom of Expression Institute – http://www.fxi.org.za/component/option,com_frontpage/Itemid,36/
Case law databases
African case law databases – http://www.worldlii.org/cgi-bin/gen_region.pl?region=250
African Legal Information Institute – https://africanlii.org/
Veritas Zimbabwe – http://www.veritaszim.net/
Business laws and regulators
National Consumer Commission (South Africa) – https://www.thencc.gov.za/
Financial Sector Conduct Authority – https://www.fsca.co.za/
Crime and justice
Institute for Security Studies – https://issafrica.org/
International Justice Resource Centre – Africa – https://ijrcenter.org/regional/african/
Defamation
INFORRM – South Africa – https://inforrm.org/category/south-africa/
Intellectual property
Department of Deeds Companies and Intellectual Property (Zimbabwe) – http://www.dcip.gov.zw/
Privacy and confidentiality
Data Protection Africa – https://dataprotection.africa/
Asia-Pacific
General and miscellaneous
Asian Media Information and Communication Centre (AMIC) – https://amic.asia/
Pacific Media Watch – https://pmc.aut.ac.nz/profile/pacific-media-watch
Asian Law Network Blog – https://learn.asialawnetwork.com/
Law and Other Things blog (India) – https://lawandotherthings.com/
Human rights and free expression
Free Speech in China – http://blog.feichangdao.com/
Case law databases
Asian case law (WorldLII) – http://www.worldlii.org/cgi-bin/gen_region.pl?region=2647
Pacific Islands Legal Information Institute – http://www.paclii.org/index.shtml
Business laws and regulators
The ASEAN Committee on Consumer Protection (ACCP) – https://aseanconsumer.org/
Singapore Competition and Consumer Commission – https://www.cccs.gov.sg/
Asia Law Network Blog – Consumer Law – https://learn.asialawnetwork.com/cat/personal/consumer-law/
Crime and justice
International Justice Resource Centre – Asia – https://ijrcenter.org/regional/asia/
Asia Law Network Blog – Criminal and Litigation – https://learn.asialawnetwork.com/cat/personal/criminal-and-litigation/
Netmission.asia – https://netmission.asia/
Defamation
Asia Law Network Blog – Defamation – https://learn.asialawnetwork.com/cat/personal/defamation/
Slater and Gordon – Destination Defamation, South-East Asia – https://www.slatergordon.com.au/blog/business-law/destination-defamation-south-east-asia
Intellectual property
Intellectual Property Office of Singapore – http://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/cipointernet-internetopic.nsf/eng/home
Privacy and confidentiality
Asia Pacific Data Protection and Cyber Security Guide 2020 – https://iapp.org/resources/article/311636/
Australia
General and miscellaneous
Communications and Media Law Association – https://www.camla.org.au/
Gazette of Law and Journalism – https://glj.com.au/
Professor Mark Pearson’s blog – www.journlaw.com
Human rights and free expression
Australian Human Rights Commission – Social Media – https://humanrights.gov.au/quick-guide/12098
MEAA media freedom reports – https://www.meaa.org/category/mediaroom/reports/
Case law databases
Australasian Legal Information Institute (AustLII) – http://www.austlii.edu.au/
Federal Register of Legislation – https://www.legislation.gov.au/
Business laws and regulators
Australian Competition and Consumer Commission – Social Media – https://www.accc.gov.au/business/advertising-promoting-your-business/social-media
Australian Communications and Media Authority – https://www.acma.gov.au/
Australian Securities and Investments Commission – https://asic.gov.au/
Law Society of NSW – Guidelines on Social Media Policies – https://www.lawsociety.com.au/resources/resources/my-practice-area/legal-technology/guidelines-social-media
Fair Work Commission – https://www.fwc.gov.au/
Crime and justice
High Court of Australia – www.hcourt.gov.au
Australian Attorney-General’s Department – Courts – https://www.ag.gov.au/legal-system/courts
The Australian Constitution – https://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Senate/Powers_practice_n_procedures/Constitution/
Defamation
Defamation Watch (Justin Castelan) – http://defamationwatch.com.au/about/
Intellectual property
Copyright Office – https://www.communications.gov.au/what-we-do/copyright
Copyright Agency – https://www.copyright.com.au/
Australian Copyright Council – https://www.copyright.org.au/
IP Australia – https://www.ipaustralia.gov.au/
Privacy and confidentiality
Office of the Australian Information Commissioner – Social Media Privacy – https://www.oaic.gov.au/privacy/your-privacy-rights/social-media-and-online-privacy/
Australian Privacy Foundation – https://privacy.org.au/
Canada
General and miscellaneous
Department of Justice – Canada’s System of Justice – https://www.justice.gc.ca/eng/csj-sjc/index.html
Canadian Bar Association – https://www.cba.org/Home
Legal Line Canada – https://www.legalline.ca/
Human rights and free expression
Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms – https://www.justice.gc.ca/eng/csj-sjc/rfc-dlc/ccrf-ccdl/index.html
Canadian Journalists for Free Expression – https://www.cjfe.org/
Case law databases
Canadian case law (WorldLII) – http://www.worldlii.org/catalog/51528.html
Supreme Court of Canada – https://www.scc-csc.ca/case-dossier/index-eng.aspx
Canadian Media Lawyers Association – https://canadianmedialawyers.com/
Business laws and regulators
Canadian Advertising and Marketing Law – http://www.canadianadvertisinglaw.com/
Office of Consumer Affairs – http://consumer.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/oca-bc.nsf/eng/home
Canadian Bar Association – Social Media Policies in the Workplace – https://www.cba.org/Publications-Resources/CBA-Practice-Link/2015/2014/Social-media-policies-in-the-workplace-What-works
Canadian Securities Administrators – https://www.securities-administrators.ca/
Crime and justice
Supreme Court of Canada – https://www.scc-csc.ca/home-accueil/index-eng.aspx
Media Smarts – Online Hate and Canadian Law – https://mediasmarts.ca/digital-media-literacy/digital-issues/online-hate/online-hate-canadian-law
The Court.ca – blog on Canadian Supreme Court – http://www.thecourt.ca/
Defamation
Mondaq Canada – A Primer on Defamation – https://www.mondaq.com/canada/libel-defamation/725558/a-primer-on-defamation
Intellectual property
Canadian Intellectual Property Office – http://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/cipointernet-internetopic.nsf/eng/home
Privacy and confidentiality
Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada – https://www.priv.gc.ca/en/
Privacy Canada – https://privacycanada.net/
David T.S. Fraser’s Privacy Law Resources – http://privacylawyer.ca/
Europe (see below for UK)
General and miscellaneous
Droit de technologies (France) – https://cours-de-droit.net/droit-des-ntic-droit-des-nouvelles-technologies-de-l-information-et-de-a121602690/
Human rights and free expression
ECHR blog – https://www.echrblog.com/
The Irish for Rights – http://www.cearta.ie/
Case law databases
Eastern Europe case law (WorldLII) – http://www.worldlii.org/cgi-bin/gen_region.pl?region=2210
Western Europe case law (WorldLII) – http://www.worldlii.org/cgi-bin/gen_region.pl?region=251
Business laws and regulators
European Consumer Centre Network (ECC-Net) – https://ec.europa.eu/info/live-work-travel-eu/consumer-rights-and-complaints/resolve-your-consumer-complaint/european-consumer-centres-network-ecc-net_en
Citizens Advice – https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/
Crime and justice
European Justice – Courts – https://e-justice.europa.eu/content_eu_courts-15-en.do
Court of Justice of the European Union – https://europa.eu/european-union/about-eu/institutions-bodies/court-justice_en
Defamation
Council of Europe – Defamation – https://www.coe.int/en/web/freedom-expression/defamation
Czech Defamation Law – https://czechdefamationlaw.wordpress.com/
Intellectual property
European Commission – Intellectual Property Rights – https://ec.europa.eu/info/business-economy-euro/doing-business-eu/intellectual-property-rights_en
Manual on European Defamation Law – Media Defence – https://www.mediadefence.org/resources/manual-on-european-defamation-law/
Privacy and confidentiality
General Data Protection Regulation – EU – https://gdpr.eu/
Europe Data Protection Digest – https://iapp.org/news/europe-data-protection-digest/
New Zealand
General and miscellaneous
Ministry of Justice – Harmful digital communications – https://www.justice.govt.nz/courts/civil/harmful-digital-communications/
NZ Law Society – Social media’s legal criteria – https://www.lawsociety.org.nz/news/lawtalk/issue-812/social-medias-legal-criteria/
Human rights and free expression
NZ Government – Human rights in NZ – https://www.govt.nz/browse/law-crime-and-justice/human-rights-in-nz/
Human Rights Commission – https://www.hrc.co.nz/
New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990 – https://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1990/0109/latest/DLM224792.html
Case law databases
New Zealand Legislation – https://www.legislation.govt.nz/
New Zealand Legal Information Institute Databases – http://www.nzlii.org/databases.html
Courts of NZ Judgments – https://www.courtsofnz.govt.nz/judgments
Business laws and regulators
Commerce Commission – https://comcom.govt.nz/
Consumer Protection – Online safety laws and rules – https://www.consumerprotection.govt.nz/general-help/consumer-laws/online-safety-laws-and-rules/
Crime and justice
Ministry of Justice – Courts – https://www.justice.govt.nz/courts/
Courts of NZ – https://www.courtsofnz.govt.nz/
Defamation
Defamation Update NZ – https://defamationupdate.co.nz/
Intellectual property
NZ Intellectual Property Office – https://www.iponz.govt.nz/
Privacy and confidentiality
Office of the Privacy Commissioner – https://www.privacy.org.nz/
Ministry of Justice – Key Initiatives – Privacy – https://www.justice.govt.nz/justice-sector-policy/key-initiatives/privacy/
Privacy Foundation NZ – https://www.privacyfoundation.nz/
South America
General and miscellaneous
Marco Civil Law of the Internet in Brazil – https://www.cgi.br/pagina/marco-civil-law-of-the-internet-in-brazil/180
Human rights and free expression
American Convention on Human Rights – Article 13 – http://www.oas.org/en/iachr/expression/showarticle.asp?artID=25&lID=1
Article 19 – Brazil and South America regional office – https://www.article19.org/regional-office/brazil-and-south-america/
Case law databases
Legal Information Institute – World legal materials from South America – https://www.law.cornell.edu/world/samerica
Business laws and regulators
OECD – Corporate Governance in Latin America – https://www.oecd.org/daf/ca/corporategovernanceinlatinamerica.htm
Crime and justice
Legal Information Institute – World legal materials from South America – https://www.law.cornell.edu/world/samerica
Wilson Center – The Brazilian Judicial System – https://www.wilsoncenter.org/publication/the-brazilian-judicial-system
Defamation
Committee to Protect Journalists – Criminal Defamation Laws in South America – https://cpj.org/reports/2016/03/south-america/
Intellectual property
BizLatin Hub – Overview – Intellectual Property Regulations in Latin America – https://www.bizlatinhub.com/overview-intellectual-property-regulations-latin-america/
Intellectual Property Magazine – South America – https://www.intellectualpropertymagazine.com/world/south_america/
Privacy and confidentiality
Bloomberg BNA – Privacy Law in Latin America and the Caribbean (Cynthia Rich) – https://iapp.org/media/pdf/resource_center/Privacy_Laws_Latin_America.pdf
United Kingdom
General and miscellaneous
International Forum for Responsible Media blog – https://inforrm.org/
Brett Wilson Media Law blog – http://www.brettwilson.co.uk/blog/category/media-law/
Information Law and Policy Centre – https://infolawcentre.blogs.sas.ac.uk/
Human rights and free expression
Transparency Project – http://www.transparencyproject.org.uk/blog/
Case law databases
British and Irish Legal Information Institute (BAILII) – https://www.bailii.org/
Business laws and regulators
Competition and Markets Authority – https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/competition-and-markets-authority
ACAS – Unfair Dismissal – https://www.acas.org.uk/dismissals/unfair-dismissal
Financial Conduct Authority – https://www.fca.org.uk/
Crime and justice
Courts and Tribunals Judiciary – Structure of the courts and tribunal system – https://www.judiciary.uk/about-the-judiciary/the-justice-system/court-structure/
The Supreme Court – https://www.supremecourt.uk/
Defamation
BBC News – Defamation cases – https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/topics/cxwke9d43kkt/defamation-cases
Scandalous blog – https://www.fieldfisher.com/en/services/dispute-resolution/defamation-and-privacy/defamation-blog
Carruthers Law – Defamation definitions – https://www.carruthers-law.co.uk/our-services/defamation/defamation-definitions/
Intellectual property
UK Intellectual Property Office – http://www.ipo.gov.uk/
UK Copyright Service – https://copyrightservice.co.uk/
Privacy and confidentiality
Gov.UK – Data Protection – https://www.gov.uk/data-protection
Information Commissioner’s Office – https://ico.org.uk/
United States
General and miscellaneous
Social Media Law Bulletin – https://www.socialmedialawbulletin.com/
HG.org Law and Social Media – https://www.hg.org/legal-articles/the-law-and-social-media-31695
Technology and Marketing Law Blog – Eric Goldman – https://blog.ericgoldman.org/
Human rights and free expression
Center for Internet and Society (Stanford University) – http://cyberlaw.stanford.edu/
Committee to Protect Journalists – cpj.org
US Courts – What does free speech mean? – https://www.uscourts.gov/about-federal-courts/educational-resources/about-educational-outreach/activity-resources/what-does
Freedom Forum Institute, First Amendment Center – https://www.freedomforuminstitute.org/first-amendment-center/
Case law databases
US case law (WorldLII) – http://www.worldlii.org/us/
Justia US law – https://law.justia.com/
Legal Information Institute – Cornell University – https://www.law.cornell.edu/
Internet cases – Evan Law blog – http://evan.law/blog/
Business laws and regulators
Federal Trade Commission – https://www.ftc.gov/
US Department of Health and Human Services – Social media policies – https://www.hhs.gov/web/social-media/policies/index.html
US State Consumer Protection Offices – https://www.usa.gov/state-consumer
Crime and justice
Supreme Court of the United States – https://www.supremecourt.gov/
United States Courts – https://www.uscourts.gov/
Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency – https://www.cisa.gov/cybersecurity
Homeland Security – Cybersecurity – https://www.dhs.gov/topic/cybersecurity
Defamation
Legal Information Institute – Defamation – https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/defamation
Freedom Forum Institute – Quick guide to libel law – https://www.freedomforuminstitute.org/first-amendment-center/primers/libellaw/
Intellectual property
US Copyright Office – https://www.copyright.gov/
US Patent and Trademark Office – https://www.uspto.gov/
Privacy and confidentiality
Data protection law – HG.org – https://www.hg.org/data-protection.html
US Department of State – Privacy Office – https://www.state.gov/bureaus-offices/under-secretary-for-management/bureau-of-administration/privacy-office/
If you are a communication professional wanting to study in this area, please consider enrolling in our online courses Social Media Law and Risk Management (postgraduate) or Media Law (undergraduate).
Disclaimer: While I write about media law and ethics, nothing here should be construed as legal advice. I am an academic, not a lawyer. My only advice is that you consult a lawyer before taking any legal risks.
© Mark Pearson and Susan Grantham 2021 – the moral right of the author has been asserted.
Griffith University Media Law student Mia Durnan interviews Senior Lawyer Rodney Durnan about Freedom of Information laws (FOI); covering basic topics like ‘what is FOI?’, the process of an application, some of the exemptions that can apply and how the FOI laws interact with privacy laws from a practical perspective.
Professor Brown is leader of the Centre for Governance and Public Policy’s public integrity and anti-corruption research program in Griffith University’s School of Government and International Relations.
This latest 
A stakeholder-oriented approach to risk minimisation can help social media managers and moderators anticipate, identify, address and balance these dangers and opportunities.
journlaw 